News

Philippine Food Manufacturing Sector's Challenges for ASEAN 2015

Thursday, June 27, 2013 02:38 AM    Views : 3027by:NAST

The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL) held a Roundtable Discussion (RTD) on Food Manufacturing: Preparing for 2015 on May 7, 2013 at Acacia Hotel, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. This RTD is the seventh in a series of discussions in preparation for the 35th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) on July 10 and 11 with the theme "Harnessing Science and Technology: Reversing the Decline of the Manufacturing Sector in the Philippines."

This RTD is the third one organized by the NAST Agricultural Sciences Division, chaired by Academician Rubel L. Villareal that attempts to discuss in detail the role of the agricultural sector in manufacturing and how manufacturing can help agricultural productivity. This is a follow up on the November 28 and December 6 discussions on processed food and wood products and agricultural machinery.

Acd. William G. Padolina, president of NAST PHL, in his welcome remarks emphasized that the industry should give particular attention to redefining how manufacturers and the industry should operate. He stressed that the agricultural sector should emphasize that food is a product of the toil of the farmers. Dr. Padolina also recognizes the important roles of engineering and other basic sciences in the development of food industry. National Scientist Dolores A. Ramirez delivered the objectives and mechanics of the RTD.
Expert invited speakers were Ms. Rita Imelda B. Palabyab, president of San Miguel Foods Inc. and Ms. Edith De Leon, senior vice-president and head of corporate affairs of Nestle Philippines Inc. Reactors to the presentations were Ms. Clara R. Lapus, president of Mama Sita Foundation Inc., Dr. Erlinda I. Dizon, Professor and Director of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of the Philippines Los Baņos (UPLB) and Dr. Artemio M. Salazar, corn breeder and Associate Professor at the Institute of Plant Breeding, UPLB and head of the National Corn Research, Development and Extension Team.

SMF President Ms. Palabyab talked about the food manufacturing in the Philippines. She reported that as of 2012, food manufacturing is (1) a major contributor to the Philippine economy, valued at P977 billion and is growing faster than total manufacturing sector; (2) considered as major employer generating 18 percent of total employment in manufacturing establishments; and (3) a major source of foreign exchange with processed food exports reaching US$2.0 billion. It is characterized as globally competitive with divergent market. However, the continuous growth of the food manufacturing sector is hindered by several challenges that need to be addressed in order to move forward. These are, (1) continued dependence on imported raw materials, (2) need for improvement or innovation in technology, (3) ability to consistently deliver the required level of quality and food safety. At the end of her talk, she stated that the way to move forward is to develop the public and private sector partnership and that industries should be private-led with enabling support from government. It should respond to the challenges of global trade, population growth, income disparity, and environmental presentation.

Nestle's Senior VP Ms. De Leon discussed the readiness of the Philippine food industry for the ASEAN 2015. She presented the development of ASEAN from its establishment in 1967 until 2007 where the vision that was set in 1997 about the free flow of goods, services, and investments in ASEAN Community by 2020 was accelerated to full implementation by 2015. She also presented the benefits to the Philippine community, government, and business of ASEAN Economic Community. According to her, some of the challenges of achieving economic integration include, (1) income and development disparities among ASEAN countries, (2) tendency to protect local producers and domestic market from foreign products, (3) alignment of national laws and regulations with ASEAN-wide programs administratively challenging, (4) conflict of mandates among national ministries/departments involved in trade of goods, (5) business sector participation needs to be clarified and encouraged. To meet the 2015 target, industry commitment should include proactive collaboration, building the evidence-base, rallying regional food value chain support, capacity building, and leveraging international networks.

During the discussion, Ms. Lapus discussed the issues and concerns of the food manufacturing industry with regard to the implementation of the ASEAN in 2015 which include, (1) developing product-specific roadmaps for major ingredients in the condiments industry, (2) use of indigenous products rather than importing raw materials, and (3) developing technologies that will cover not only the processing part but also the conversion of "waste-materials" into something more useful. She added the importance of addressing the competitiveness of the Philippine peso and the peace and order situation of the country. She emphasized that on the macroeconomic level, the depreciation of peso value is beneficial to them since it encourages activities in the export industry.

On the other hand, Dr. Dizon emphasized the importance of science and technology in influencing the decision of the industry and consumers. According to her, research scientists can work together with the food industry to generate safe, quality, and nutritious foods and to promote reliable, science-based food processing information. She also suggested additional measures to alleviate concerns of the Philippine Food Manufacturing Industry through S&T. These are (1) development of human resources, (2) technical assistance to MSMEs, (3) establishment of food processing plant in priority areas, and (4) conduct of joint research on new technologies.

Dr. Salazar reported that even though there is a positive development in the manufacturing industry, there is still a gap between the processors and the farmers which could be addressed by (1) implementation of good agricultural process and good manufacturing process, (2) facilitation of the working dialogue between processors and farmers, (3) inclusion of the crop-based food manufacturing sector in the seed/seedling production program of the Department of Agriculture, (4) support to direct food manufacturing sector quality related research and development, (5) regular sustained support for crops varietal improvement, (6) deliberately plan the operations in rural areas, and (7) address the nutrition aspect in product development. Addressing this gap, according to Dr. Salazar is the essence of preparing for 2015.

National Scientist Benito S. Vergara, member of the Agricultural Sciences Division (ASD) of NAST PHL in his synthesis of the RTD proceedings reiterated that the papers presented on situation of the food manufacturing in the country were both optimistic. He related the suggestions of the speakers and discussants on developing the roadmap for the important ingredients in the food industry to add to the agricultural roadmap in the Philippine Agriculture 2020. NS Vergara emphasized that the readiness of the Philippine food manufacturing industry for 2015 would depend on the working relationship of the producers and the manufacturers with the farmers role in providing the needed raw materials that would meet the standards of the manufacturers.

Acd. Ruben L. Villareal moderated the discussion. A total of 76 participants from the academe, industry, Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the NAST PHL attended this event (Guada B. Ramos-Dimaya).

 Source: http://www.nast.ph/index.php?option=com_content&;view=article&id=425:pr-on-rtd-on-food-manufacturing-2&catid=1:news

S & T Trivia

" Rodolfo Arambulo of Laguna, Philippines developed Multishock, a bullet type that increases the firepower and stopping power of an ordinary gun with multiple hits in a single shot. It is considered as the first of its kind in the world. "

Online Resources
© copyright 2012 www.science.ph. All rights reserved.

Login