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Organic rice gains wider market in shopping malls despite high price, low production Written by Manuel T. Cayon / Reporter Thursday, 14 May 2009 20:57 Business Mirror Demand for organic products on the rise Despite economic slowdown BY NEIL JEROME C. MORALES, Reporter Business World Online PDAP seeks to tie up with food firms By Riza T. Olchondra Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 00:16:00 04/19/2009 GM Crops feed biotech giants only Source: Choike.org Accelerating into disaster - when bank manages the food crisis Source: Choike.org Meeting of Minds and hearts for poor by Tina Dumlao Philippine Daily Inquirer December 21, 2008 Surallah eyeing to become RP's organic rice capital by: Joy Romares-Sevilla SunStar General Santos City October 25, 2008 DBP boost seaweed industry in poor Tawi-Tawi town by Amy R. Remo Philippine Daily Inquirer June 2008 Organic Rice offers long-term solution to rice crisis by Philippine Daily Inquirer April 5, 2008 Why Muscovado is a Must these days by Tina Dumlao Philippine Daily Inquirer May 25, 2008
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The Philippine Development Assistance
Programme, Inc. (PDAP) organized the PRIME Second
Partners' Forum last April 16 and 17 in Quezon City.
The event brought together 76 current and potential
partners under its Promoting
Rural Industries and Market Enhancement (PRIME)
program. The theme is "Developing and
Strengthening Agricultural Value Chains fro Poverty
Reduction: PDAP in the next five (5) years".
The first forum was held in March 2007. The two-day forum aimed to recognize best practices and emerging models of partner organizations within the PRIME program and validate the post-PRIME scenarios defining the exit strategy and sustainability plans of the different mechanisms within PRIME. |
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Successfully completing PRIME and strengthening PDAP |
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The first day was devoted to the PRIME partners' meeting in which there were presentations about the status of programs as well as the work plan for the remaining year with focus on the PDAP business plan for the next five years. There was also an open forum which saw the active participation of partners in making comments and asking questions about the nature of partnership and possible areas for collaboration. |
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The second day, which was open to potential
partners, started with the ribbon cutting of the trade exhibit
showcasing the organic rice, muscovado and seaweeds products of
PRIME. |
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In behalf of PDAP, Executive Director Jerry Pacturan thanked CIDA for the 23 years of partnership. DA Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat representing Secretary Arthur Yap delivered a message of support to PDAP. Later in the day, each representative from different sectors was given citation as symbol of partnership with the PDAP. |
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The big leap |
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Post-PRIME scenarios defining the exit
strategy and sustainability plans were highlighted during the
second day. |
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loan for Sultan Kudarat Muscovado Farmers and
Millers Corporation while the Small
Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation will provide
technical expertise in the design and implementation of the PDAP
Guarantee Fund. |
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Then there were three presentations. Mr. Pacturan presented the business plan describing the core business and offerings of PDAP. On the other hand, Trustee Roel Ravanera introduced the concept of the guarantee fund, a financing mechanism that will guarantee loans of partner financing institutions to PRIME and non-PRIME groups. The Management Association |
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of the Philippines also shared the survey results on corporate
social responsibility conducted by PDAP as spring board for
possible partnership with MAP members doing CSR projects. |
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PDAP also took pride with the formation of two industry associations under its tutelage, PORIA for organic rice and MUSICO for muscovado and Global Organic and Wellness Corp., as the marketing arm of PRIME partners. These organizations were also introduced during the Forum. |
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| Other notable personalities and institutions present during the second day of the forum were Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corporation President Marriz Agbon, European Union Programme Manager Madl Benedikt, SB Corp. President Benel Lagua, DBP Senior Vice-President Corazon Conde, DBP Senior Manager Romy Carandang and representatives from Organic Producers and Trade Association, DA-Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Products Standards, DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Planters Development Bank, Mindanao Economic Development Council, House of Representatives Committee on Peoples Participation, Office of Kalinga Representative Manuel Agyao, Management Association of the Philippines and MAP-Agribusiness and Countryside Development. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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The PDAP brand |
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PDAP's readiness to enter into partnership with like-minded organizations is signaled by the unveiling of its new corporate logo and quality seal. the quality seal in packaging materials of organic rice and muscovado sugar produced by PRIME partners indicates premium products which passed the organic internal control standards. The corporate logos of PORIA, MUSICO and GLOW Corp. were also unveiled. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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To cap the achievements of PDAP, the publication "PDAP at
23: 23 Years at the Forefront of Poverty Reduction in the
Countryside" was also launched. Moving Forward As PRIME winds down in the next two years, the partners' forum will certainly be not the last. PDAP as value chain manager takes on the formidable challenge of facilitating and ensuring equitable benefits along the chain. Ultimately, the measure of its success is the growth of sustainable enterprises established by rural communities which it is committed to serve. |
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