REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Department of Agriculture
AGRICULTURAL CREDIT POLICY COUNCIL
San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center,
Pasig City, 1605 PHILIPPINES
Tel. No. (632) 634-3326; 634-3320 to 21
Fax No. (632) 634-3319
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL CREDIT POLICY COUNCIL 28th Floor, One San Miguel Ave. Bldg., |
San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 1605 PHILIPPINES Tel. No. (632) 634-3326; 634-3320 to 21 Fax No. (632) 634-3319 |
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Messages
ACPC has and will continue to play a key role in our poverty alleviation program by extending loans to small entrepreneurs and improving the income of the rural poor. I laud you for you're a achievements in increasing the much needed flow of credit to the countryside , which is what we need, in order to achieve food security and agricultural modernization. I wish you success in all your endeavors. Good luck to all of you. Mabuhay!  
Committed to its mission of promoting sustainable development in the countryside through the facilitation of affordable credit for Filipino farmers and fishermen, ACPC has thus been instrumental in helping the Department of Agriculture family implement government's various agriculture, fishery and related livelihood programs-as part of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's centerpiece food security program dubbed as FIELDS. (FIELDS stands for Fertilizers; Irrigation and infrastructure; Extension, training and education; Loans; Dryers and other postharvest facilities; and Seeds.) Last year alone, DA-ACPC and its partner financial institutions such the Land Bank of the Philippines and hundreds of cooperative banks have extended P3.2 billion worth of loans to more than 111,000 Filipino farmers and fishermen through major credit programs under the Agro-Industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP): the Agri-Fishery Microfinance Program (AFMP) and the Cooperative Bank Agri-Lending Program (CBAP). Further, it has provided training support for grassroots cooperative-type organizations under its Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) Programs. As ACPC Chairperson, I therefore assure the Council of the DA family's continued support to all its endeavors as we accelerate the modernization of Philippine agriculture and work for the empowerment of our rural populations. Congratulations and more power! Mabuhay ang ACPC! 
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for 111, 175 farmers In 2008, the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) partnered with financial institutions such as the Land Bank and coop banks to facilitate the release of P3.2 billion loans to 111, 175 farmers/fisherfolk through two major credit programs under the Agro-Industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP) and other innovative financing schemes. DA Secretary Arthur C. Yap underscored the necessity of having strategic credit interventions in order to enhance farmers' and fisherfolk's access to financial services. The DA-ACPC programs support the DA's goal of increasing production and employment in the agriculture and fisheries sector as part of the "Loans" component of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's FIELDS Program for the agriculture sector. Created by RA 8435 or the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), the AMCFP serves as the umbrella financing program for the agriculture and fisheries sector in the country. Mandated by the AFMA to oversee the implementation of the AMCFP, the ACPC has developed and is currently implementing two major credit programs under the AMCFP: the Agri-Fishery Microfinance Program (AFMP) and the Cooperative Bank Agri-Lending Program (CBAP). A joint endeavor with the Land Bank, the Agri-Fishery Microfinance Program (AFMP) innovatively integrates microfinance with agricultural credit. It taps potential lending conduits not currently accredited by Landbank, but deemed vital in providing microfinance services to agriculture and fisheries households. Among the organizations that were tapped as conduits for the AFMP are the Irrigators' Associations. Funded with P200 million from the AMCFP, Land Bank has leveraged AFMP funds to generate a total of P2.9 billion loans released to 101,834 small farmers and fisherfolk. On the other hand, the Cooperative Bank Agri-Lending Program (CBAP) This program aims to harness the potential of the cooperative banking sector in providing financial services to small farmers. Participating cooperative banks have committed to leverage the P300 million initial fund by at least five times (P1.5 billion) over the period 2008-2009. Starting in the 2nd quarter of 2008 up to end-February 2009, CBAP released more than P804 million to small farmers. The DA-ACPC also provides subsidies for the education and training of small farmers and fisherfolk on credit awareness, loan acquisition, and loan repayment. In 2008, a total of 1,207 officers and members of 275 farmer organizations participated in 67 trainings and other forms of technical support (e.g. coaching, business development and management assistance) through the Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) programs of the ACPC.
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Messages
At this time when the world reels under the yoke of its worst recession in half a century, it is reassuring to hear our President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's remark that the Philippine economy remains "outside the scope of the crisis," thanks to sound economic and financial reforms instituted through the years. The DA-ACPC is proud to have taken a significant part in these reforms and commits itself to the continued development and implementation of market-oriented, but farmer-centered credit policies and innovative financing schemes. Through twenty two long years of its existence, the ACPC has time and again proven its resiliency by striving for continued relevance amidst the sound and fury of economic and political upheavals. This anniversary therefore presents a golden opportunity for thanking all the members of the ACPC Council, most especially Secretary Yap and the Department of Agriculture, the officers and staff of the ACPC, our partner institutions and organizations and, most of all, our ultimate target beneficiaries, the small Filipino farmers and fisherfolk, for their continued support and cooperation. Today, as we stand on this new crossroad of the global economy and our nation's life, I am confident that, as in the past, the DA-ACPC can overcome whatever challenges might come its way to continue ensuring our small farmers' and fisherfolk's access to sustainable credit and helping keep our economy and nation stable and strong. 
Equipped with professional and dedicated officers and staff, ACPC remains committed to its mandate of promoting sustainable delivery of credit services to the rural sector through the implementation of effective policies and programs. I am confident that in upholding our vision and in remaining faithful to our duty, we shall reach our goals and overcome the challenges ahead. Let us continue to work together in promoting countryside progress.  |
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Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL CREDIT POLICY COUNCIL 28th Floor, One San Miguel Ave. Bldg., San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605 PHILIPPINES Tel. No. (0632) 634-3320; 634-3321; 634-3326 Fax No.: (0632) 634-3319; email: acpcinfo@yahoo.com
acpcinfo@yahoo.com
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Warmest greetings to the Agricultural
Credit Policy Council (ACPC) of the Department of Agriculture
as you hold your 22nd Anniversary.
Warmest greetings and congratulations
to the management and staff of the Agricultural Credit Policy
Council (ACPC) as you celebrate your 22nd Founding Anniversary.
The
DA-ACPC celebrates its 22nd anniversary with
great pride for its significant achievements in rural credit
reform in the last two decades; gratitude for the cooperation
it received from member and partner institutions, supporters
and clientele; and confidence and optimism for the many opportunities
and blessings it continues to gain, even in times of crises.
As we celebrate the Agricultural Credit Policy Council's
22nd Anniversary, we cannot overemphasize ACPC's significanct
role in supporting and transforming the countryside into an efficient
and productive sector that could pave the way towards food security
and poverty alleviation.