To increase the number of Participatory Guarantee System (PGS)-certified farmers and accredited organic farms in the MIMAROPA region, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) in MIMAROPA, in partnership with the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS), conducted a “Training on PGS Group Expansion” on May 20-24, 2024, at Hotel Marinduque, Boac, Marinduque.
This initiative focused on capacitating two PGS groups in the province by refining their draft Manual of Operations (MOO) and Internal Standards (IS), especially in light of newly approved standards relevant to organic agriculture (OA).
The training was a concerted effort to guide these groups through the accreditation procedures, PGS peer-review, and certification processes. Mr. Marc Owell A. Ama and Ms. Anna Dominique Cadsawan from BAFS served as resource persons (RPs), providing crucial insights into the newly approved Philippine National Standards pertinent to OA.
Moreover, Engr. Karen T. Vicente, Agriculturist I/OA Point Person of ATI-MIMAROPA, discussed the certification and accreditation processes necessary for achieving Organic Certifying Body (OCB) status.
During the workshop, the RPs also assisted the participants and gave valuable feedback and recommendations for the improvement of their IS and MOO.
The two PGS groups in Marinduque—the Bo-ACT PGS group in Boac and the Sta. Cruz PGS group in Sta. Cruz—have already undergone BAFS pre-inspection and are scheduled for final inspection for certification this year. Following certification, these groups will need to apply for accreditation within one year to achieve the ultimate goal of becoming an accredited OCB.
