MANILA -The Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE) has called for a review of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the law that seeks to modernize the agriculture sector.
In a statement, BAFE said it’s considering cutting down the requirements to ensure the quality of machinery and equipment for distribution to fishers and farmers under the Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization (AFMech) Law.
Regulatory policies, according to BAFE, are subject to the Anti-Red Tape Act Law, which aims to reduce bureaucratic red tape and prevent graft and corruption to guarantee the delivery of government services.
Janice Vargas, chief of BAFE’s Standards and Regulations Enforcement Division, said it’s timely to review the IRR of AFMech “for items that need clarification as various issues and concerns were discovered” raised by stakeholders in previous workshops conducted by the agency.
It did not disclose the provisions of the AFMech IRR that need to be clarified.
In those workshops, BAFE urged manufacturers, fabricators, assemblers, distributors, dealers, importers and exporters of agricultural machinery and equipment to comply with existing regulations and standards to effectively implement projects in the agriculture sector.
Enacted in 2013, the AFMech Law promotes the development and adoption of “modern, appropriate and cost-effective and environmentally-safe agricultural and fisheries machinery and equipment” to improve productivity and increase farmers’ income.
It also provides “a conducive environment to the local assembling and manufacturing of engines, machinery and equipment for agricultural and fisheries production, processing and marketing.”
Currently, BAFE is drafting a joint administrative order outlining the guidelines on the permit to operate (PTO). The permit is issued to entities that seek to import agri-fishery machinery.
The Department of Agriculture also has a draft circular on PTO compliance monitoring to provide information for permit holders and come up with uniform procedures to monitor the compliance of all establishments selling agricultural equipment.
BAFE has been holding a series of workshops to solicit comments on the AFMech Law to enhance the delivery of services as well as boost the stakeholders’ confidence in undertaking agricultural projects. INQ