December 16, 2020. The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards completed the Organizational Capacity Assessment survey questionnaires for the Building Safe Agricultural Food Enterprises (B-SAFE) project. The capacity needs assessment is the first activity of the project to document the baseline capacity of the Bureau on its technical and enabling capacity dimensions. BAFS is just one of the agencies surveyed as the B-SAFE project works with the Philippine government particularly with the agencies responsible for food safety and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures.
The survey questionnaire assessed the current capacity of the BAFS on seven enabling capacity dimensions namely: (1) leadership; (2) strategy and planning; (3) human, financial and resource management; (4) knowledge management; (5) access to markets; (6) public-private partnerships and (7) rules and regulations. The survey took place last November 16 to December 10, 2020. The respondents of the survey were from the Standard Development Division (SDD), Technical Services Division (TSD), Laboratory Services Division (LSD), and the Administrative Support Service. The succeeding project activities include the: 1) enhancement of the DA and FDA capacity in risk-based systems; 2) support in the regulation and decision-making of agricultural biotechnology; 3) building the technical capacity of the private sector to meet international standards, and; 4) strengthening cold chain systems.
The BSAFE project aims to increase agricultural productivity by improving the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) in the production and management of supply chains, and expand trade of agricultural and food products.
Winrock International, Institute of Agricultural Development implements this project, under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress (FFPr) Program. The project commenced last October 2019 and is expected to be completed by September 2023.