Project News

The fourth On-the-Job Training on the analysis of chemical fertilizers and pesticides of the Project of Capacity Building for Quality Standard Control of Agricultural Materials (Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides) (QCAM Project) has commenced with the arrival of two Filipino experts on July 3, 2011. Ms. Edna Lynn C. Floresca, expert on analysis of chemical fertilizers is from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), while Ms. Ma. Esperanza DG. Uy, expert on formulation analysis of pesticides is from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) are both from the Department of Agriculture, Philippines - the implementing partners of QCAM Project.

The OJT series have been conducted for the laboratory staff of the Department of Agricultural Legislation (DAL), and the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A total of six laboratory experts from BPI and BSWM had already been dispatched by JICA for the OJTs (Note: 1st OJT from August to December, 2009, 2nd On-the- Job-Training( OJT) from February to July, 2010, and 3rd OJT from November 2010 to March 2011.) and this batch of OJT is the last one to finalize the trainings.

Ms. Floresca checking analytical work by one staff of the DAL.

Ms. Floresca with staffs of the laboratory of chemical fertilizers in the GDA.

Since both Ms. Floresca and Ms. Uy have already worked for the 1st and 2nd OJTs of the QCAM Project as experts, all members of the QCAM Project were looking forward to meeting and working with them again. Mr. Phiv Chintheng, Deputy Director of National Agricultural Laboratory said that he would like to develop further his analytical skills and gain more knowledge from them as much as he can in the 4th OJT. On the other hand, H.E. San Vanty, Under Secretary of State of the MAFF and the Project Director of the QCAM Project, said that with his cordial appreciation on their support to the QCAM Project, he hopes that bilateral cooperation on laboratory activities in the agricultural sector between Cambodia and the Philippines will be further developed even after the QCAM Project.

When Ms. Floresca and Ms. Uy were asked of their impressions about the analytical skills of their trainees after about a year since the last time that they worked for the QCAM Project, Ms. Floresca said that she was glad to know that some of her trainees have improved their analytical skills to the level that they can perform tasks of two analysis at the same time. Ms. Uy commented that her trainees have also improved their analytical skills a lot especially on the principles of operation and use of the Gas Chromatography (*) and some can possibly conduct trainings to the other staffs as the need arises.

Through the 4th OJT (Note: 4 months for analysis of chemical fertilizers and 3 months for formulation analysis of pesticides) by the two experts, the laboratory counterparts of the QCAM Project will further improve their analytical skills, while the experts will review and wrap up all the laboratory activities that are to be accomplished by the Project.

Ms. Uy checking analytical work by Mr. Chintheng.

Ms. Uy with staffs of the Pesticide Laboratory in the GDA.

(*)Gas Chromatography is a common type of chromatography used in analytic chemistry for separating and analyzing compounds that can be vaporized without decomposition.

Written by Toshinori Hamaguchi, JICA Expert