EU Businesses Keen to Invest in Philippines Agriculture

European businesses are looking to invest in Philippines agriculture sector, particularly to shore up innovation and sustainable practices.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) discussed with representatives of the European Union-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) mutual interests in agricultural development, foreign trade and investments, economic growth and other potential areas of cooperation.

“European businesses are at the forefront of innovation and sustainable practices in agriculture, and now we stand ready to share these best practices and expertise to support the continued growth and advancement of the agriculture sector in the Philippines and hopes to uplift the livelihoods of Filipino farmers and contribute to poverty reduction in rural areas.” EU-ABC vice chairman Tassilo Brinzer said.

By leveraging Europe’s expertise in agribusiness management, sustainable farming techniques and market access, he said EU-ABC hopes to uplift the livelihoods of Filipino farmers and contribute to poverty reduction in rural areas.

ECCP executive director Florian Gotten cited the Philippines’ growth and potential as a result of this administration’s roadshow to invite investors to come to the country.

“The Philippines is now on the map and I think that this is a new era, a golden age for investments into the Philippines. We are very much optimistic that we will see more European companies coming here, supporting your efforts, and maybe reckon trying to work with you to bring the agriculture in this country to the next level,” Florian Gotten said.

For his part, Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban thanked the European delegation’s interest in collaborating with the Philippine government for the advancement of the latter’s agri-fishery sector, which he said will benefit not only the Philippines but also other countries.

During the meeting, the DA highlighted the need to address the concerns in the sugar sector, including supply and high prices.

Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said SRA is pushing for the block farming of sugar cane for 30 hectare in the country in a bid to increase sugar production in the country. And they initial tests on existing sugarcane block farms showed production improved “5 to 10 tons per hectare.”

“We need to produce about 2.4 to 2.5 million metric tons po to be called self-sufficient. So our thrust is really how to make the farmers improve their production,” said Azcona.

“That’s why we need to consolidate the small farmers into cooperatives and give them all the assistance that they need”

He added that block farming is also ideal in terms of sustainability of government support, especially that the government is now providing high-yielding varieties to the local farmers.