MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) took the lead in evaluating 19 projects funded under the Second Kennedy Round (2KR) program of the Japanese government during a three-day meet at the Clark Economic Zone in Pampanga.

BAR director Dr. Nicomedes Eleazar said the money for the projects came by way of official development assistance (ODA) through the Department of Agriculture (DA), the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC) and his bureau.

The Technology Commercialization Division (TCD) of BAR, which also handles the National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP), spearheaded the annual review.

Mandated to conduct the technology upscaling and commercialization of research and development (R&D) results, NTCP has acted as a bridge for the 2KR program to reach its intended beneficiaries, mainly underprivileged farmers and fisherfolk.

Eleazar said the Clark review was the last to be conducted by BAR on all projects funded by the bureau for 2011.

He expressed appreciation, not only to the Japanese government, but also to NAFC and the various partner institutions from the Regional Field Units (RFus), staff bureaus, attached agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), and local government units (LGUs.)

The grant given, about R55 million, was valuable in supporting not only the activities of research institutions but also of the beneficiaries.

As of last count, there were 32 projects implemented through NAFC and BAR under the 2KR program.

Fifteen of the projects have been completed, 12 are ongoing and five are in the pipeline.

Elgie Namia, chief of NAFC’s Special Projects Division Elgie Namia Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Technical Expert Hiroshi Kodama joined the panel of experts.

The other panel members were Dr. Enrico Supangco of the University of Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB), Ms. Josefina Lantican and Ms. Virginia Agcopra of the BAR-Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and members of the BAR technical staff.

The panel evaluated 19 completed and on-going projects.

Presenters were asked to discuss the project overview, underscoring the accomplishments, issues/concerns/challenges and actions undertaken, recommendations and project milestones.

An open forum was held to address queries.

BAR assistant director Teodoro Solsoloy delivered a parting message to all participants and said the insights of the evaluators were vital to the outcomes of the projects.

The 2KR program, otherwise known now as Grant for Underprivileged Farmers (GAUF), is a commodity assistance program by the Japan government to developing countries including the Philippines.

It aims to extend assistance to increase food production and to attain food self-sufficiency through the provision of farm inputs like fertilizers, agricultural chemicals, and machinery.