MANILA -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the country’s agricultural sector posted a meager 2.5 percent growth this year compared to last year’s 4 percent.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol attributed this to several typhoons that hit the country, most especially Typhoon Ompong, which brought more than PHP32 billion worth of damages to the farm sector in September.
From January to September 2018, the total volume of production in the agriculture and fisheries sector grew by 0.15 percent.
Piñol said the increase was primarily driven by the livestock and poultry subsectors, which recorded 2.15 percent and 5.45 percent growth, respectively.
However, declines were observed in the crops and fisheries subsectors at 3.64 percent and 2.64 percent, respectively.
Specifically, he said, the growth in the livestock subsector can be attributed to the increase in hog, cattle, goat and dairy production as a result of the sustained demand for meat processing and low mortality ratio due to efficient control of diseases.
Only carabao production dropped by 1.63 percent.
On the other hand, Piñol said, the increase in chicken, chicken egg and duck egg production propelled the positive growth in the poultry subsector. This was due to the increase in farm capacity of some traditional poultry farms which were converted to tunnel vent type farms and the expansion of some broiler farms.
The increase in chicken and duck egg production was driven by the expansion of commercial layer farms in Mindanao, the opening of new layer farms in Luzon and the sustained demand for “balut”.
Duck production, however, decreased due to the reduced outflow of Peking ducks and decreased culling in Mindanao.
Meanwhile, Piñol said the decline in the crops’ subsector was mainly due to the decrease in production of staple crops, palay and corn, by 5.70 percent and 14.83 percent, respectively.
This can be attributed to the damages brought by typhoons “Henry,” “Inday,” “Josie,” and “Ompong”; delayed planting due to the ongoing rehabilitation of irrigation facilities and late release of irrigation water in Northern Luzon; and, the delay in the planting season caused by the late rainfall in some parts of the country.
Nevertheless, output gains were recorded in the production of high-value crops such as coconut, sugarcane, banana, pineapple, coffee, mango, tobacco, abaca, tomato and rubber, he said.
Similarly, the DA attributed the decline in the fisheries subsector to the downtrend in the production of milkfish, tiger prawn, round scad and yellowfin tuna.
Piñol said some of the factors that contributed to the decrease in the volume of production include the limited supply of fingerlings and the use of inferior quality fingerlings that resulted in smaller sizes of harvested milkfish; the hesitation of fish pen operators to place stocks because of possible demolition of fish pens by the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA); the fish kill in Central Luzon last May; the occurrence of white spots disease caused by water pollution in Northern Mindanao; and, the reduced number of fishing days and trips due to strong winds and rough seas caused by weather disturbances.
On the other hand, tilapia production increased due to the normal water level and adequate oxygen level in freshwater fish cages and the reopening of closed freshwater fishponds in Central Luzon.
Skipjack production increased as more unloadings were reported for canneries in Mindanao due to the distribution of gillnets, and hook and lines by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Region 9 through the local government units (LGUs) to municipal fishermen that resulted in increased volume of fish catch.
Agriculture Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Segfredo Serrano said with the projected shortfall in farm output this year, the agriculture sector would have to make a rebound in 2019 by at least up to 3.5 percent to go back to the same level as the growth recorded in 2017.
The DA was originally targeting to hit a 19.4 percent production of palay this year, which would have been the country's highest output.
The projected increase in palay production for next year will be backed by the PHP110-billion budget from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which is the tariff collected from imported rice set to enter the country sans the quantitative restriction.
It is meant to make the country's local rice sector competitive amid the liberalization of rice importation.
In support to the thrust of President Rodrigo Duterte to increase food production and reduce poverty, the DA’s Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) was conceptualized for the benefit of marginalized sectors in the agriculture and fisheries sector by providing appropriate technology, financing, marketing, and other support services in order to make the famers and fisherfolk productive and profitable.
Officially launched as one of the DA’s flagship programs in 2016, SAAD aims to reach individuals, families, and organized farmers and fisherfolk in the target areas, with priority accorded to members of people’s organizations (POs), beneficiaries of the Department of Social; Welfare and Development's (DSWD) 4Ps and/ or indigenous peoples (IPs).
These target beneficiaries will undergo social preparation to ensure readiness in accepting and managing the interventions being provided by the program. Livelihood interventions/projects will then be provided based on the assessed needs of the recipients.
Other interventions provided to farmer-beneficiaries include capacity building on crop, livestock and poultry production and introduction of updated farming technologies; livelihood projects; distribution of seeds, fertilizers, livestock and poultry animals, machineries and other agricultural inputs; and provision of post-harvest facilities and equipment.
For 2019, the targeted provinces for the SAAD program are Kalinga, Mountain Province, Occidental Mindoro, Negros Occidental, Antique, Bohol, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Norte. (PNA)
