DIALOGUE OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

PAGASA’s STC was invited to a Public-Private Market Dialogue with the theme: “Boosting Food Standards in the Philippines” on 20 April 2017 at the Oakwood Joy Nostalg Building at the Ortigas Center.  This Meeting included producers, retailers, associations, companies with certified produce, certification bodies and consumer groups.  This Dialogue-Workshop aims to understand the state of implementation of food standards in the Philippines as well address challenges in the horizon. It is an ASEAN-German Cooperation Project on standards in the Southeast Asian Food Trade (SAFT) wth the Bureau of Agri. and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) under the D.A.  STC gave his inputs into how to promote the sales and consumption of organic fruits and vegetables by appointing a credible certification body (there are now two), making the accreditation process easier to achieve and by making consumers aware of organic goods to eventually form the habit of consuming these regularly and in bigger quantities.