Manila: The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) said Friday it has partnered with FMC Research Solutions, Inc., a Filipino regulatory technology company, for a pilot program to improve the safety and quality of imported agricultural products. 'We're continuously looking at technological solutions to boost our inspection and quarantine capabilities, especially with the recent enactment of the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act that gave DA expanded powers to combat the smuggling of agricultural products,' BPI Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban said in a statement. He said the agreement is in line with the efforts of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to digitize and streamline the department's operations. Under the agreement, the BPI can use an end-to-end system that will help prevent challenges in food safety and agricultural smuggling. 'We will gain additional verification points for the inspection of agricultural products. This initiative will complement the existing tools of BPI, allowing us to be mor e proactive in ensuring the availability of safe, pest-free, and disease-free agricultural commodities,' Panganiban said. FMC Research co-founder Melody Chua, meanwhile, said the pilot program would help improve BPI's monitoring and inspections. 'Our proposed solution ensures comprehensive coverage to enhance the monitoring and audit functions of regulatory agencies by providing the needed reports and business analytics to aid the Bureau of Plant Industry,' she said. FMC Research focuses on a comprehensive lifecycle monitoring system for imported agricultural products. Source: Philippines News agency