MANILA, Philippines -- Good news for the Agri-Kapihan aficionados. Starting this September, two more sessions will be held in addition to the one held every last Sunday of the month at the courtyard of radio station DWWW in Quezon City.

The two other Agri-Kapihan sessions will be held every 2nd and 3rd Saturday of the month starting September 10. The venue will be the AANI Weekend Market at the St. Vincent Seminary on Tandang Sora, Quezon City.

The two additional sessions were in response to the interest shown by Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala who was so impressed with the attendance of about 500 habitues during the July 31 Agri-Kapihan where he was a special guest.

Undoubtedly, he realized the potential of the Agri-Kapihan in disseminating the latest developments in agriculture, the opportunities in linking the producers to the traders and processors of agricultural produce.

Leandro Gazmin, director of the Agricultural Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) of the Department of Agriculture, will talk on the services his agency provides to farm producers. The DA has recently come up with an Agribusiness Center where producers can display their products for export and for the local market.

We will also talk on the opportunities in agriculture.

Le Club at Agrilink — The French Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Le Club, will be bringing together French and European agribusiness firms to showcase their products and services at the 2011 Agrilink which will be held on October 6 to 8 at the World Trade Center-Metro Manila.

Le Club’s French Pavilion will feature diverse innovations in the agriculture and food sectors – from engineering, animal nutrition, eco-biotics, heating solutions, feed and food processing to a wide range of agricultural machineries.

Agrilink remains the leading agribusiness exhibition in the Philippines. Several agribusiness seminars on French technology and products will also be held at the French Pavilion on Friday, October 7. Some of the companies that Le Club will be featuring include Actemium, Addisseo Group, Olmix, SBM International and Stolz.

Actemium is the brand developed by the VINCI Energies Group to support its range of services to the industrial, engineering and construction sectors. Addisseo, on the other hand, is the largest manufacturer of animal nutritional additives and solutions in the world, with core expertise in methionine, vitamins, enzymes and other feed additives. Its integrated technologies for the animal production industry, from design, manufacture and marketing cater to premixes, feed manufacturers and integrators for poultry, swine and ruminants.

Olmix specializes in natural feed additives, eco-biotics and environmental sanitizers while SBM International offers a wide range of heating solutions adapted to specific design data such as building size, weather and zootechnical conditions. Stolz is a leader in powder and granules handling and processing within the feed and food industries.

Organic Farming Consultations — A consultative meeting on the formulation of the National Organic Agriculture Roadmap will be held in Bacolod City today at the Bacolod Pavilion Hotel. This will be followed on September 7 at the Grand Men Seng Hotel in Davao City. In Luzon, the meeting will be held on Sept. 15 at the Convention Hall of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management in Quezon City.

The consultative meetings are under the auspices of the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS) headed by Director Gilbert F. Layese.

Invited to the meetings are various stakeholders from the farmer groups/co-ops, NGOs, organic business firms (organic input producers, supermarkets, organic food establishments, etc.), members of academe, government agencies, LGUs, and other sectors engaged in organic agriculture. Participation is by invitation only.