The Government of Japan approved the funding for the “Upgrading of the Pesticide Residue Laboratories” Project under the Japan Food Security Project for Underprivileged Farmers, (formerly known as the 2KR Program). A fund support of Eighty-Five Million Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P85,500,000.00) from Japan's Official Development Assistance was approved for this project.
The project aims to enhance food safety in export commodities as well as in local produce for consumer protection. The proponent of the project is the Laboratory Services Division of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The two-year project intends to improve the country's adherence to bilateral commitments, particularly to the Government of Japan through the export of safe products. It shall involve the procurement and installation of sophisticated analytical equipment that will improve the analytical capability of the National Pesticide Analytical Laboratory (NPAL) building in Quezon City and the Davao Pesticide Analytical Laboratory (DPAL) in Davao City. The project shall develop and validate methods in detecting more pesticide residues as well as improve the analytical capabilities of NPAL and DPAL for reliable and accurate pesticide residue analysis results.
The NPAL building is the central laboratory conducting analysis for pesticide formulation and pesticide residues present in agricultural commodities. The NPAL and DPAL were both assisted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Both the NPAL and the DPAL are accredited to conduct analysis of prime commodities like mango, okra and asparagus, for export to Japan.
The project will benefit the mango and okra industries, which have major export markets in Japan. The laboratories will be expected to analyze other agricultural commodities from the import – export business. This project augurs well for the Philippine Government's adherence to its commitment to the Japanese Government by providing safe produce for its consuming public through the export of mangoes, okra and asparagus. Furthermore, it would result to the global competitiveness of the Philippines' export commodities, help improve the income of Filipino farmers and other stakeholders and consequently result to economic gains for the Philippines.
For more than three decades, the 2KR Program has made a positive impact on the livelihood of Filipino farmers. This project reaffirms Japan's commitment, as the top donor of the Official Development Assistance to the Philippines, to support the efforts of the Government of the Philippines to alleviate poverty and achieve food self-sufficiency. The project also serves as a continuing testimony of strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines towards the future.
Japanese Version
