The Association of Southeast Asian Nation-Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center’s (ASEAN-AVRDC) Regional Network for Vegetable Research and Development (AARNET) steering committee members and Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) personnel visited the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) Innovation and Technology Center (DPITC) recently.
The visit was part of the three-day program of the 13th AARNET Steering Committee Meeting being hosted by the Philippines this year.
The ASEAN–AVRDC’s AARNET was initiated to improve efficiency in agriculture research specifically on vegetables. It is composed of 10 ASEAN countries, which include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam in collaboration with AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center, Taiwan.
The visitors comprise of the representatives from 10 member countries headed by AARNET Chairman Dr. Leong Hon Keong and officers from AVRDC, Taiwan. Dr. Edwin C. Villar, PCAARRD Acting Deputy Executive Director for R&D, welcomed the visitors in a message where he gave a brief introduction about PCAARRD and its mandates. Dr. Villar also cited past partnerships made with AVRDC.
Noel A. Catibog, Center Manager of DPITC and OIC Director of Technology Transfer and Promotion Division (TTPD), PCAARRD, on the other hand, presented an overview of the DPITC. He discussed DPITC’s functions—its role in technology transfer and commercialization; the services it offers to various clients and; the partnerships and networks it maintains and establishes among research and development institutions (RDIs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and other relevant stakeholders.
Further, Dr. Jocelyn E. Eusebio, Director of Crops Research Division (CRD), PCAARRD, highlighted the accomplishments, current initiatives, and R&D programs of vegetables. She also talked about CRD’s ongoing projects and target outcomes such as increasing vegetable yield in various projects being implemented.
Dr. Villar likewise mentioned PCAARRD’s current initiatives on recording/documenting indigenous vegetables in the Philippines in a publication which will soon be available for farmers.
Dr. Villar, Mr. Catibog, Dr. Eusebio, and Ms. Leilani D. Pelegrina, Industry Strategic S&T Program (ISP) Manager in Vegetables, answered the visitors’ questions during the open forum.
Dr. Hermenigilda A. Gabertan, Center Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry-Los Banos National Crop Research, Development and Production Support Center (BPI-LBNCRDPSC) thanked PCAARRD in providing comprehensive information for the AARNET visitors. The visitors were toured around the DPITC exhibit area and the PCAARRD-BPI Seeds and Seedling Plaza.