NTA Administrator and CEO Belinda S. Sanchez took part in the ceremonial signing of memorandum of agreement (MOA) of the private sector-led initiative Kapatid Angat Lahat for Agriculture Program (KALAP) at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace in Manila on March 6, 2023.
The NTA signed with Go Negosyo represented by its Founding President and Chairperson, Jose Ma. A. Concepcion III , along with officials from the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural resources, Department of Trade and Industry with heads of Go Negosyo, Philippine Coconut Authority, National Irrigation Administration and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who witnessed the MOA signing, welcomed the establishment of the KALAP to enable farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to become more productive, profitable, sustainable, and globally competitive.
KALAP aims to provide farmers access to mentoring, funding, and markets; and to help boost their livelihood. It is an avenue where agriculture meets job creation and an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the country’s economy.
Also present in Malacañan during the signing were tobacco farmer leaders headed by NAFTAC President Bernard Vicente, and Winston Uy, president of Universal Leaf Philippines, Inc.