Free agribusiness seminars at Agrilink 2016

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agencies will be holding free seminars, technical workshops and demos, and an investment forum at Agrilink 2016.

This year’s Agrilink will run on Oct. 6 and end on Oct. 8.

The Bureau of Agricultural Research, in cooperation with the University of the Philippines Los Baños, will discuss its research promoting the use of rare crops grown in specific areas in the country. These indigenous crops include

sugod-sugod and kapas kapas found in the Ilocos Region, and lagikway in Marinduque.

UPLB’s Fredric Odejar will also discuss the health benefits of these crops as well as the ways they can be prepared as food and non-food products.

BAR’s regional field office 5, in coordination with the Bicol Integrated Agricultural Research Center (BIARC), will discuss latest research on the production of mushroom and its by- products such as ice cream, catsup, crackers, soup, and pickled and dried mushrooms.

BIARC’s Pedro Oliver will also discuss the proper methods of spawning mushroom as well as the post-harvest, marketing and commercialization methods involved in the value chain.

Estela Taño, technical consultant of a community-based nongovernment organization Green Rescue Organic Association based in Tiaong, Quezon, will have a seminar about the utilization of various herbs and spices as natural alternatives to synthetic remedies for ailments such as body pains, wounds and splinters.

On Oct. 6, DA’s agribusiness and marketing service together with the Department of Trade and Industry, will hold an investment forum and B2B seminars together with Korean inbound trade missions on food processing, including kimchi manufacturing, seaweed and seafood processing, fruit beverages and poultry; nonfood agricultural processing such as coconut coir, biomass renewable energy from wood pellets, and biotechnology.

On Oct. 7, UPLB will hold a seminar on the business opportunities in edible landscaping, the integration of food plants in designing ornamental landscapes. There will also be an investment forum on how to start a poultry egg business.

The DA will also discuss how agribusinesses can increase their trade with the country’s free trade area partners.

The forum will also provide information on how to avail of preferential tariffs, access to market information, and how to develop linkages as well as penetrate and expand export and market share to partner economies.

On the last day, the DA will hold a series of information sessions focused on providing guidance and direction to agribusinesses and other related stakeholders about compliance to the latest regulations on food business.

It shall also conduct a workshop that will discuss the business opportunities in free-range chicken production.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ( BFAR), together with the Philippine Fisheries Association (PFA), will hold a series of seminars on the current outlook of Philippine fisheries production.

Rafael Guerrero of the National Academy of Science and Technology will discuss strategies on how Philippine aquafarmers can address the adverse impact of climate change, such as typhoons, floods and drought, such as increasing pond dike height, deepening pond depth and using submersible cages and article pond shading.

For more details, contact 8384491, 09175888799 or email frld.

agrilink@ gmail. com. Visitors can also pre-register their attendance through www.agrilink.org or its official Facebook page at facebook.com/agrilinkPH.