The Philippines may soon enter into agreements with neighboring countries Indonesia and Malaysia to improve agricultural production and address food security in the region, Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said on Monday, Oct. 14.
In downtown Davao City, a vendor sells durian in his stall. (Keith Bacongco/Manila Bulletin)
Also the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) chair for the Philippines, he touted what the ASEAN Food Security Alliance (AFSA), which he hoped could be the country’s legacy in hosting the ASEAN-BAC in 2026, can do for the region.
Concepcion said that Indonesia and Malaysia have already expressed their willingness to partner on durian and other agricultural products.
“So, it is just a matter of really putting it together which we have done. So naka-grupo na dito ang malalaking agri companies dito sa Pilipinas (the big agri companies are already grouped here in the Philippines) and we are now basically, meet and greet ‘yan eh (that’s a meet and greet). So, we met Malaysia; we met Indonesia,” he added.
Acknowledging that the venture “requires a lot of communication,” Concepcion expressed confidence this can move forward because AFSA has the support of Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella III and former Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary William Dar.
“Together with iyong mga may-ari ng mga (the owners of) these agri companies, it is moving. And hopefully, by as early as 2025, we should be starting already with these joint ventures and partnerships,” he said.
While he admitted that it’s not easy because “agriculture is a challenge in this country,” the government has “the best opportunity” by scaling up the small farmers.
“Kasi kung hindi natin ito i-scale up itong mga maliit na farmers natin (If we will not scale up our small farmers), we will never eradicate poverty in the agricultural sector,” Concepcion stressed.
“We have to give them growth. We have to make succeed; and now we will have a more vibrant economy. We have so many farmers, so imagine we increase the income that they generate, the country will gain out of that,” he added.
The group’s next stops would be Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, where Concepcion said they would have to see the compatibility and the interest from these countries.
ASFA, which traces its roots to Go Negosyo’s Kapatid Angat Lahat Program (KALAP), aims to build partnerships with ASEAN member-states in increasing agricultural productivity and facilitating market linkages “to be a more productive, food-producing, and self-reliant region,” its website said.
The Alliance is related to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the DAR and Go Negosyo.
The MOA aims to form strategic partnerhips with the private sector in the hopes of providing agrarian reform beneficiaries with agribusiness opportunities, mentorship and sustainable farming models through cluster farming, corporative farming, and land lease agreements.