Four new members for IFAJ

The General Assembly had the opportunity to welcome four new members at the IFAJ Congress in Minneapolis this past July. They are Romania, Pakistan, Mexico and The Philippines.

Here is a presentation of the new members:

The Philippines

PAJ, The Philippines Agricultural Journalists, was founded in September 1976. The guild today has more than 1,000 active members. PAJ envisions contributing to the Philippines pursuit of a modern, globally-competitive, and sustainable agriculture sector through balanced reporting. It aims to maintain objectivity in pursuit of its advocacy and promotion initiatives and serve as a catalyst in consensus-building.

The Philippines is an agricultural country producing coconut, bananas, pineapples, rice and corn. There are also cattle, goats, pigs, chicken and other livestock and poultry produced. Since the country is an archipelago, it also produces fish from the sea, marine parks and inland fish farms.

“We decided to join IFAJ to be able to learn from our counterparts in other parts of the world and exchange ideas with them.” says Alfred Gabot, who is the current president and will represent the guild on the IFAJ Executive Committee.

Pakistan
AAEJ, Association of Agriculture and Environmental Journalists, has 50 members. Its constitution aims to promote and highlight the agricultural issues in the country. It also focuses on exchanging information and experience amongst agricultural journalists at the local and international level. AAEJ will also contribute in promoting and spreading knowledge of journalists writing on the agricultural issues.
The agricultural sector is the most important part of Pakistan’s economy, contributing almost 23.4 percent of its economy. The main focus of the agriculture sector is the provision of food security for the public and the maximization of production. Pakistan’s major crops are wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane and cotton.
AAEJ wanted to become a member of IFAJ as both associations are promoting the work of agriculture journalists.

”IFAJ is also a symbol of freedom of press and AAEJ has strong commitment of following the fundamental rules regarding press freedom and protection of human rights.” says Shahzad Syed, President of AAEJ and represent of IFAJ Executive Committee.

Mexico

Amexma, Asociación Mexicana de Periodistas y Directores de Medios Agropecuarios, has 25 members.

The guilds main role is to improve and innovate around communications in the agricultural sector in Mexico with specialized training to avoid incorrect information about the agricultural sector.

There are two kinds of agriculture in Mexico. One is the traditional agriculture that can be called subsistence farming, and the other is very high-tech agriculture. Mexico has become part of the top 10 food producers worldwide, and the main products are tomatoes, avocados, eggs, beef, bell peppers and pork.

To be a member of IFAJ is very important for Amexma.

“We need to be part of the best world agricultural journalism organization and to have the best network for the specialized agricultural journalism.” says Alberto Ruiz, Secretary of Amexma.

Romania

APAR, Agricultural Press Association in Romania, has 60 members. Its main role is to promote and support the social and professional interests of its members in their relations with state bodies, various institutions and similar organizations.

Romanian agriculture is in the top of the European ranking for cereals, maize and sunflower production, but also for sheep breeding. In recent years, and due to EU funds, Romania has managed to take important steps in farm technology and modernization of agricultural techniques.

Joining a huge community such as IFAJ offers APAR access to agricultural information from around the world.