The Philippine STAR [1] Friday, February 16, 2007 

"How will small vegetable farmers survive in the modern market in the face of trade liberalization, stricter food safety standards, the rise of supermarkets and dominant market players, and the rising costs of production?"

These will be among the critical questions that the 5th National Vegetable Congress will try to address when it convenes in Tagaytay City this coming March 7 to 9, 2007.

Prior to the Congress, a series of consultations with different players in the vegetable industry will be conducted in Baguio, Manila, Cebu and Davao from February 12 - 26, 2007 to discuss issues and validate findings from various research studies on the vegetable industry in the Philippines.

Mr. Lyndon Tan, President of Region IV Vegetable Industry Council and Chair of the National Vegetable Congress says "there is going to be a lot of knowledge sharing and dynamic interaction showcasing the current trends and technologies in this congress".

At the same time, policy resolution highlighting issues and recommendations based on these consultations and research will be presented during the congress. The policy component of the congress is supported by the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) through its local affiliate, the Federation of Free Farmers Federation (FFF), and the Regoverning Markets Programme.

The latter is a global initiative which aims to provide strategic advice and guidance to the public sector, agri-food chain actors, civil society organizations including economic organizations of producers, and development agencies on approaches that can anticipate and manage the impacts of the dynamic changes in local and regional markets.

IFAP and FFF in turn are focusing on helping small producers in developing countries who risk being marginalized if they cannot adjust to changing market trends.