Agriculture.ph Blog

Follow agri standards

FRUITS and vegetable growers and farmers are urged to seek certification of good and agricultural practices (GAP) for their products, to ensure food safety and quality crucial to increasing market access both in the local and foreign markets.

This advice was given by Director Gilberto Layese of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standard (BAFPS) during the recent agriculture and fisheries technology forum.

Layese said the GAP certification will enable the farmers to comply with food safety standards at par with national and international standards.

He said the BAFPS has put in efforts toward benchmarking the country’s GAP with the GlobalGAP.

“We have initiated contacts with accredited consultancy firm of GlobalGAP in Asia,” Layese said. “(We) will revise existing Philippine standards to fit the requirements of GlobalGAP.”

Likewise, he said with GAP certification, consumers can also exercise the option of buying quality fruits and vegetable from traceable and certified sources.

Layese said the GAP certification will involve the inspection of the farm’s location, structure, environment (soil and water conditions), facilities maintenance and farming practices (use of pesticides, fertilizers, other agrochemicals, disease management, harvesting, packaging and cold storage).

Clarence Agustin, also of BAFPS, explained that under the GAP program, farmers are allowed to use fertilizer and pesticide as long as these are within appropriate dosage.

“You should not exceed the (dosage) recommendations of the manufacturers,” he noted.

Layese further said participants of DA’s GAP program should renew certification by submitting a new application three years after the issuance of the previous one.

But Layese said successful audit compliance with GAP and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) principles does not guarantee food safety.

“An audit is an informed opinion on the state of farm operation at a particular time,” he said. “It is, however, an important first step in improving food safety and signaling to buyers that certain practices that conform to food safety guidelines are in place.” (Philexport News and Features)

Source: Sun Star