LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 248

TO    :      All Department Secretaries

        The Governor, Central Bank of the Philippines
        The President, Philippine National Bank
        The President, Land Bank
        The Commissioner, Budget Commission
        The Chairman, Development Bank of the Philippines
        The President, Food Terminal Inc.
        The Administrator, National Grains Authority
        The Chairman, National Science Development Board
        The Chancellor, University of the Philippines at Los Baños.
        The Chairman, Green Revolution Expanded
        Program Action Committee
        The Executive Director, National Nutrition Council

1.    To provide supervised credit and encourage the commercial production in priority areas of selected vegetables and food crops which have domestic and/or export market.

2.    To increase the production of high protein and other highly nutritious vegetables or food crops.

3.    To coordinate the proper timing of planting, harvesting and marketing of such crops as to lessen, if not minimize, the unsetting effects of seasonality and fluctuations of supply and prices.

4.    To encourage the planting of out-of-season crops and in the process increase the income of farmers.

5.    To develop an efficient marketing system and remove, insofar as practicable, the uncertainties of future prices by entering into contract purchasing arrangements for the future delivery or vegetables and food crops.

1.    There shall be a Management Committee of the "Gulayan Sa Kalusugan" Program to be composed of the Executive Director of the National Food and Agricultural Council as Chairman and the Director of the Bureau of Plant Industry as Deputy, and who shall likewise act as the Action Officer of the Committee. The members of the Committee shall be the following or their duly authorized representatives:

(1)    The Undersecretary of Education, Department of Education and Culture

(2)    The Undersecretary for Community Development, Department of Local Government and Community Development

(3)    The Director of the Department of Rural Banks, Central Bank

(4)    The Executive Officer, Food Terminal, Inc.

(5)    The Chairman, Green Revolution Expanded Program Action Committeet

2.    The Central Bank, through its Governor, the Philippine National Bank, through its President; and the Development Bank of the Philippines, through its Chairman, shall support the program by extending liberalized financing schemes under such simplified terms and conditions as will allow speedy and efficient processing consistent with sound monetary policies.

3.    Initially, the following crops shall be considered for financial assistance under such terms and conditions that the Committee and the financial institutions may establish:

a.    Beans (Sitao, cowpea, Mungo, Navy Bean, Baguio Bean, Sweet Pea and Red Bean)
b.    Peanut
c.    Squash
d.    Tomato
e.    Cantaloupe
f.    Cabbage
g.    Carrot
h.    Sweet Corn
i.    Sweet Potato
j.    Onion
k.    Garlic

4.    The Management Committee, with the Food Terminal, Inc., through its Executive Officer, and the National Grains Authority, through its administrator, shall establish a procurement and marketing program.

5.    The Department of Local Government and Community Development, the Presidential Regional Officers for Development (PRODS), the President Regional Action Officers (PRAOs), the Provincial Governors and Municipal Mayors, shall assist in the implementation of the program in the selected priority provinces and municipalities. The Provincial Governors shall assume the responsibility as Chairman of their respective Provincial Action Committees and the Mayors as Chairman of the Municipal Action Teams.  

6.    The National Science Development Board, through its Chairman, and the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, through its Chancellor, shall provide technical and promotional support in the fields of training, nutrition and processing.

7.    The National Prime Commodities Operations Center, through its Chairman, shall assist in coordinating and monitoring activities and the provision of transport facilities as the need arises.

8.    The Department of Education and Culture, through its Secretary, shall intensify and reorient its seed production program to meet the need of both the "Gulayan Sa Kalusugan" Program and the Green Revolution Program.

9.    The Green Revolution Expanded Program Action Committee, through its Chairman, shall assist in the execution of the "Gulayan Sa Kalusugan" Program. Existing Green Revolution Committees at Regional, Provincial and Municipal levels shall be utilized to implement the Program at these levels.

10.    The Department of Agriculture, through its appropriate Bureaus, shall provide the technical manpower and logistical support to the Program.

Since 19.07.98.