THE Department of Agriculture (DA) and its South Korean counterpart have forged a partnership for the increased exports of Filipino seafood and fisheries products while ensuring food safety for the Korean consumers.

In a statement, the Agriculture department said Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Deputy Director Soo-jin Cho, with Assistant Director Chan-hwei Lee of the Imported Food Inspection Management under the Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) met last week to complete the plans for a mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) for the safety of the country's food exports to South Korea.