The Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops) took the lead in organizing a highly successful National Root Crop Cooperative Testing Program (NRCCTP) held from November 15 to 17, 2023 at the headquarters of the Bureau of Plant Industry - National Seed Industry Council (BPI-NSIC) based in Malate, Manila.

There is a strong unified push among all sectors in Eastern Visayas to bring back the once vibrant abaca industry in the region. To make this happen, local government units (LGUs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), farmer groups, and industry players convened for 2 days to discuss how to make this aspiration a reality.

To sustain agriculture despite the changing climate, Visayas State University (VSU) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) jointly spearheaded the annual gathering of faculty researchers who are members of the University Consortium (UC) to share meaningful dialogue through academic and research expertise.