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Message
 Welcome to the information portal of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC)!
As the government’s primary institution in rural finance policy and programs, the ACPC, through this website, marks its space in the global information highway to reach out to our stakeholders and make known our humble contributions in national development.
Born part of the sweeping economic reforms brought about by the return of democracy in 1986, the ACPC is a pioneering reformist mandated to pursue innovations in rural and agricultural finance. To address the need for access to sustainable credit of its small farmer and fisherfolk stakeholders, the ACPC has fostered a robust market orientation and holistic approach to the rural credit system. This enabled ACPC to develop and implement policies and innovative financing programs, including the umbrella credit program for the agriculture sector, the Agro-industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP).
Moreover, ACPC pursues capacity building of farmers and fisherfolk organizations, the collection of payments for past credit programs to add up to the available credit funds, policy research, monitoring of government agri-credit programs and bank lending to the sector, and advocacy.
A depth of knowledge awaits you which we hope you will find useful. Happy surfing!
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ACPC Programs
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CBAP
COOPERATIVE BANKS AGRI-LENDING PROGRAM (CBAP)
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 AFMP-PCFC
AGRI-MICROFINANCE PROGRAM
(AMP) FOR SMALL FARMERS
AND FISHERFOLK AND THEIR HOUSEHOLDS
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AFMP-Fishery
AGRI-FISHERY MICROFINANCE
PROGRAM (AFMP) FOR SMALL
FARM AND FISHING HOUSEHOLDS
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CBAP
FISHERIES FINANCING PROGRAM (FFP) FOR FINANCING TO VALUE CHAIN ACTIVITIES OF SMALL FISHERIES STAKEHOLDERS AND MICROFINANCE LOANS TO SMALL FISHING HOUSEHOLDS
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Sec. Alcala chairs ACPC Board Meeting; calls for an integrated agricultural credit strategy
Sec. Proceso J. Alcala (center) discusses with the other members of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) his vision of an
integrated agricultural credit strategy anchored on the establishment of village trading posts. Among those present during the ACPC meeting were: (from left) ACPC Executive Director Jovita M. Corpuz; Department of Finance (DoF) Director Joselito S. Almario, DoF Undersecretary Jeremias N. Paul, Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, National Economic & Development Authority (NEDA) Director Sheila Marie M. Encabo, and ACPC Dep. Exec. Dir. Ramon C. Yedra.
In less than a month after taking over the Agriculture portfolio, Secretary Proceso J. Alcala chaired a meeting of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) on July 22, 2010 at his office in Diliman, Quezon City . As Agriculture Secretary, Alcala is the ex-officio Chairman of the ACPC.
Sec. Alcala shared with the members of the Council his vision of an integrated agricultural credit strategy anchored on the establishment of village trading posts and urged the ACPC to adopt the same kind of strategy in its credit programs.
With his long experience in lending to farmers, Sec. Alcala wants to replicate on a nationwide scale the trading post-centered agricultural credit system that he introduced in Quezon Province . Sec. Alcala used to serve as Congressman, representing the Second District of Quezon, and his appointment as DA Secretary was largely boosted by the success of his trading post building program in that Southern Tagalog province. The trading posts served as the central point on which all other agricultural activities were hinged, including credit and crop insurance, farm inputs, processing and marketing.
The proposal easily drew support from the other Council members. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Dep. Gov. Nestor Espenilla, Jr. noted that he could see a new window of opportunity for ACPC in the scheme proposed by Sec. Alcala. He said that if ACPC can design a strategic and encompassing agricultural credit system clearly delineating the roles and participation of the government and the private sector, including non-government and grassroots organizations, it would spur the infusion of much larger funds into the agricultural credit system.
DA Undersecretary for Special Concerns Bernadette Romulo Puyat, who is the DA Lead Coordinator for agricultural credit, guarantee and insurance, underscored during the meeting the need also for a review of on-going ACPC programs as input to the drafting of a holistic credit strategy.
Aside from the Department of Agriculture Secretary as Chairman and the Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as Vice-Chairman, the other members of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) are the Department of Finance (DoF) Secretary; the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary; and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General.
Created in 1986 to assist the Department of Agriculture in reviewing, evaluating and harmonizing all agriculture and fisheries credit policies and programs, the ACPC oversees the Agro-Industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP), the umbrella credit program for the agriculture and fisheries sector, as mandated by the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997(AFMA).
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ACPC passes two resolutions on lending to farmers affected by climate change and review of ACPC programs
The Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) passed two resolutions during the 33rd Council Meeting held on May 31, 2010. Resolution No. 2, Series of 2010 approved the “Guidelines for the Implementation of the Agri-Microfinance Program for Small Farmers and Fisherfolk and their Households in El Niño and Other Calamity-Stricken Areas.”
The resolution mandates the release and use of an additional P100 million for the ACPC and People’s Credit and Finance Corporation (ACPC-PCFC) Agro-Microfinance Program (AMP) to address the credit requirements of farmers and fisherfolk affected by El Niño and other calamities associated with climate change.
The objective of this new agri-microfinance window under PCFC is to help mitigate the adverse impact of climate change, global warming and El Niño on the agricultural sector, especially on the lives of small farmers and fisherfolk, who suffer the most in times of natural and man-made calamities. The program will prioritize El Niño and other calamity-stricken areas identified by the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Resolution No. 3, Series of 2010, on the other hand, approves the conduct of a “Review of ACPC-Administered Financing Programs.” This resolution authorizes an independent review of all the on-going programs of ACPC in order to determine their effectiveness and viability.
The terms of reference for the review are: (i) examine the design and operating guidelines and procedures of each program; (ii) identify enabling/deterrent factors in the successful operation of the programs; (iii) determine the efficiency and effectiveness of the programs in terms of outreach, financial performance including default ratios, among others; and (iv) recommend ways to improve operations and enhance the viability of the programs.
The review is also expected to come up with analyses and recommendations for a general approach to lending under the Agro-Industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP).
Currently, there are eight lending programs being implemented by the ACPC under the umbrella of the AMCFP and the Innovative Financing Schemes of ACPC. These are: (1) the Agri-Fishery Microfinance Program (AFMP); (2) Fisheries Financing Program (FFP); (3) Agricultural Microfinance Program for Small Farmers and Fisherfolk and their Households; (4) Cooperative Banks Agri-Lending Program (CBAP); and (5) Direct Market Linkage (DML) Development Program, (6) AMCFP Quedancor, (7) AMCFP Tobacco/Rice Growing System with the National Tobacco Administration, and (8) AMCFP Tomato Production and Paste Processing with the Northern Foods Corporation.
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