11 June 2014- Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary for Special Concerns Bernadette Romulo-Puyat met with Ms. Marie-Hélène Le Hénaff, Head of the International Promotion and Cooperation Division of the French Ministry of Agriculture (MAAF), on June 10 at the MAAF office in Paris, France.

The Philippine delegation included Philippine Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Rapunzel Acop and Agricultural Attaché Nolet Fulgencio.

Both sides exchanged views on agricultural policies in the Philippines and France, particularly on organic farming and risk management.

They discovered many common points, such as the predominance of small family farms, the importance of the agricultural sector in job creation, and the shift towards sustainable agriculture.

Ms. Le Hénaff thanked the DA officials for their visit and invited them to return to France to observe innovative production techniques being used in organic farming.

For her part, Undersecretary Romulo-Puyat welcomed the beginning of more frequent exchanges between Philippine and French agriculture officials. “This is the start of a good working relationship between the Philippines and France,” she said.

Undersecretary Romulo-Puyat heads the National Organic Agriculture Board, which was created by the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010. She was in Paris to head the Philippine delegation to the 2014 Global Summit on Women which took place from June 5 to 7. END