Press Release
27 September 2012
The Philippine Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program, particularly its pipeline of projects in the agriculture sector, were the highlights of the plenary session on PPPs at the 11th Asia-Pacific Agriculture Policy Forum held in Incheon, South Korea last September 3-4, 2012.
Director Eleazar E. Ricote of the Philippine PPP Center talked about the PPP Program and its recent developments in the areas of policy and process improvements, capacity building and project development, review and approval processes, and procurement processes and requirements. He noted that agriculture is an emerging sector in Philippine PPPs which acknowledges private sector participation not just in traditional infrastructure sectors but also in critical social development projects.
Further, Director Ricote noted that significant government support and interventions have been made available, such as the project development facility and the strategic support fund, all intended to ensure that said projects are structured diligently and implemented with utmost regard for transparency and the basic social objectives of the sector.
Organized by the Korea Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Association, the Regional Office of the African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) and the Global Agriculture Policy Institute, the forum’s theme was “Rethinking New Vision for Agriculture in the Asia-Pacific Region: Towards Sustainable Food Security through Harmonized Public-Private Partnerships”.
Sessions were held on PPP, rice, cash crops, fruits and vegetables production and trade, livestock and fisheries. Experts and scholars from the Asia-Pacific region presented their papers on PPP policy and implementation issues, practices, innovations and lessons.
