The Philippine Association of Feed Millers Inc. (PAFMI) held its induction and oath-taking of officers and board members for the year 2021-2022 led by Senator Imee Marcos on April 22, 2021, via Zoom.

The new officers and board members are composed of exemplary men and women with the passion to help the agricultural sector by engaging the members in activities aligned with the goals of PAFMI. The newly installed leadership include:

• President: Edwin Mapanao, MBA, CPM ASIA, Vice President for Marketing & Corporate Affairs of Univet Nutrition and Animal Healthcare Company
• Vice President: Roderick Ramirez, Chief of Sales and Marketing of Jetbest Animal Nutrition and Health Care Inc.
• Secretary: Maria Fatima Cipriano, Senior Manager and Team Leader of Purchasing of Sunjin Philippines Corporation
• Treasurer: Irma Aguila, Senior Manager of Strategic Procurement of CJ Philippines Inc.
• Auditor: Teodoro Deocares, Auditor, Vice President for Supply Chain of Pilmico Food Group
• Board Member and PAFMI Import Committee Chairman: Philip Ocampo, Operations and Purchasing Manager of Easy Bio Philippines Inc.
• Board Member and PAFMI Membership Committee Chairman: Cesar Go, Operations Manager for Procurement, Logistics, and Engineering of Foremost Farms Inc.
• Board Member and PAFMI Ways and Means Committee Chairman: Romuel Tan, CPM, CPSM, Purchasing Manager and Group Procurement Manager of the Agro-Industrial Group at Universal Robina Corporation
• Board Member: Stephanie Nicole Garcia, Executive Vice President, Corporate Management Director, and Treasurer of Vitarich Corporation
• Board Member and PAFMI Import Committee Vice-Chair: Christopher Ian Tingzon, Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Hoc Po Feeds Corporation, and General Manager of URC Agri-Trading and Commodities Inc.
• Board Member: Norman Ramos, Executive Vice President of Philippine Foremost Milling Corporation

Aptly themed, “Reimagineering the Future of Philippine Agriculture”, the new PAFMI leadership is set to address the challenges involved in meeting the needs of Filipinos, while achieving a positive impact on the agricultural sector. This is reflected by the portmanteau ‘reimagineering’ which is a blend of reimagining and re-engineering, two vital tasks that PAFMI needs to undertake to spur recovery in its sector.

Senator Imee Marcos, who led the induction ceremony, lauded the members of PAFMI and encouraged them not to waste the crises they face as these are opportunities for change. “The trials and tribulations that beset the Philippine agricultural scenario need to be reimagined and must truly be re-engineered for hope, for transformation, and for new agriculture—agriculture that recognizes that climate change and resiliency is inevitable. That the new normal requires that we will never be the same again, that we should not go back to the bad that we used to be but only try to change for the good that we need to be in the future.”

The chairperson for the senate committee on economic affairs also shared her optimism in the new leadership of the PAFMI officers and their power to help both the feed milling and hog raising sectors. Sen. Marcos said that “PAFMI will certainly be part of that direly needed, long-awaited solution” as the economy faces a double whammy brought by the outbreaks of COVID-19 and African Swine Fever (ASF) that hit the country.

In his address to the members, PAFMI President Edwin Mapanao reiterated PAFMI’s commitment to developing strategies for food security and safety in the country, hence the theme of this year’s induction ceremony. “Our goal is to achieve a sustainable, inclusive, modern, and tech-driven agri-supply food system,” he noted.

Philippine feed milling, an intermediate operation supporting the livestock, poultry, and aqua industries, produced a total volume of 18.98M metric tons, valued at 510B in 2019. However, for 2021, Mapanao said that the feed milling industry will continue to experience a decline in feed demand due to the continuous outbreak of ASF, high importation of pork and poultry products, government restrictions on the importation of feeds, banning of the cockfighting operations nationwide, and a lower purchasing power brought about by unemployment and recession and scaling down of consumers’ cheaper protein source.

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary actions. Together with your help and cooperation, we can build stronger-forming communities as we face more challenging times ahead in reimagineering the future of Philippine agriculture,” Mapanao closed.