| This web site has been set up
to provide members of the network with faster access to information in
the areas of: (i) Activities of the Network; (ii) Relevant Policy Issues;
and (iii) Discussion Fora
Our intention here is to establish an e-mail discussion
group for questions and answers on policy and management issues related
to livestock and poultry agricultural research.
Comments or requests for further information, as well
as contributions to the fora, can also be addressed to the Team Leader:
livstk@laguna.net
1. |
Plan of Activities of the
Network for 2001-2002
- Regular updating of the webpage
- Quarterly newsletter publication
- Consultation meetings with international institutions
- Co-sponsor conferences/conventions/meetings with scientific societies
and other organizations
- Institutional visits for capability assessment
- Review and prioritization of research proposals
- Project site visitation
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2. |
Relevant Policy Issues (Source:
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 4 September 1999)
The paper titled "Philippine Research
and Development at the Tail-end of Global Competitiveness" of Dr. Jon
Sigurdson of the Stockholm School of Economics has this to say:
Despite claims to the contrary, the
Philippines is lagging behind its neighboring countries in the area of
science and technological research development. The big portion of the
Philipine expenditure allotted to R&D actually comes from the government
with other smaller portions coming from the business sector, academe and
other entities. Dr. Sigurdson stressed that this is never a healthy sign,
because if R&D in the Philippines remains this way, then all talks
of the government entering the globalized world side by side with countries
such as USA, England and Japan, will remain hallucinations in the minds
of the government officials out to make a name for themselves.
His recommendations? "There is a need
for the private sector to participate more in R&D efforts, especially
in areas like agriculture, in order to ease the government’s burden on
R&D spending. This move entails clearer and more structured alignment
of government policies to motivate private sector involvement in immediately
rewarding concerns of R&D in the Philippines."
What policy recommendations can
the Network suggest to BAR?
Suggestions and comments, as well as relevant contributions
can be addressed to the Team Leader:livstk@laguna.net |
3. |
Discussion Fora
A recent livestock project of SEARCA,
funded by NABCOR is a study on the effect of GATT-WTO in the sector. Using
parity price comparisons and the domestic resource cost approach, highlights
of the report of Dr. Leonardo Gonzales includes the following:
-
Results indicated that the period before
(1994) GATT-WTO was a more globally competitive period for the Philippine
livestock sector. The major reasons for this were relatively higher border
prices and lower domestic factor costs.
-
The period after GATT-WTO (1999) on the
other hand was less competitive primarily due to the drastic declines in
border prices brought about by global competition in the trading of livestock
and poultry products. Likewise, domestic factor cost increases, not necessarily
related to GATT-WTO contributed to this uncompetitiveness.
To enhance the global competitiveness
of the livestock sector, Dr. Gonzales recommended the following key result
areas (KRAs) within the context of agribusiness systems:
Input Supply Subsystem: The
major objective is to provide for the efficient delivery of inputs and
services. The key result areas include:
-
Access to good breeds, genetic materials
and technology breakthroughs
-
Access to cheaper feed sources and veterinary
supplies
-
Credit delivery systems
Production Subsystem: The strategy
calls for an adequate provision of support infrastructures for production.
The KRAs include the following:
-
Services related to prevention of animal
pests/diseases
- Implementation of AFMA policy on
tariff
- Lack of FMD vaccines
- High tariff rates of vaccines
-
Quality standards and premium pricing
-
Horizontal and vertical integration
Marketing and Distribution Subsystem:
The major strategy is to attain a cost effective movement of goods and
services in the livestock-poultry subsector. The KRAs include:
-
Marketing-distribution infrastructures
-
Cold chain and storage system
-
Joint ventures and strategic alliances
-
Livestock-Poultry "agribusiness superhighways"
Processing Subsystem: There is
a need for increased value adding for the livestock-poultry subsector.
The KRAs include:
-
Access to competitive sources of raw
materials
-
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
-
Value added processing
Financing Subsytem: The need for
a cost -effective delivery of credit. The key result areas are:
-
Credit delivery systems for long gestating
projects
-
Development of financing modalities and
linkages among livestock coops/associations and banks
-
Agro-Agra credit mobilization for livestock
agribusiness super highways
Human Resource Subsystem: Skills
enhancement for human and agricultural development. The KRAs include:
-
Efficient bureaucracy and responsive
governance
-
Project/Program management skills devlopment
-
Farmers/entrepreneurship trainings
Others: Policy Advocacy for the
livestock/poultry subsector and other concerns like the environment-land
use related issues (convergence framework) and congruent feedcorn-livestock
policy framework. The KRAs inlude:
-
Advocacy for a share of the ACEP
-
Congressional enactment of effective
trade remedies under GATT-WTO
-
Friendly feedgrain-livestock linkages
-
Private sector participation to the WTO
negotiation
Comments on the above findings of Dr. Gonzales, as well
as contributions to the fora, can be addressed to the Team Leader:
livstk@laguna.net |
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