Agriculture

DA delays sugar imports to May

By Rose de la Cruz Just when milling of sugarcane is starting to peak this month, the decision to import sugar from abroad has been put on hold to prevent local prices from plunging just like in recent years. The Department of Agriculture said sugar importation has been held until May 2025 following the conclusion of the current crop year’s …

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Pointless to make DA import rice directly

By Rose de la Cruz Another myopic bill– that granting the Department of Agriculture the task of directly importing rice just because the substantial reduction on tariffs on rice imports did not lead to reduced retail prices of the staple– is being eyed at the Lower House, which could lead to a split personality for the DA. The DA is …

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BoC: Tariff cuts led to P16-B foregone revenues

By Rose de la Cruz Tariff ccollections from rice for the last six months  will fall 57.45 percent to P12.1 billion because of the tariff cut to 15 percent until 2028. Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said the revenues from rice imports under the old tariff of 35 percent have been used to fund the programs and projects under the Rice …

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DA to push ratooning, use of inbred rice seeds

The  Department of Agriculture is  encouraging farmers to plant a third crop utilizing either ratooning or inbred rice seeds to compensate for palay lost in the recent super typhoons,  DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said among the measures in the  rice  industry  roadmap are ramping up crop intensity, promoting ratooning and encouraging farmers to plant a third crop. Laurel …

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Kristine’s farm damage at least 5.75-B

The Department of Agriculture  estimated the toll from supertyphoon Kristine to agriculture and infrastructure at P5.75 billion and counting. The DA latest bulletin said the volume of production losses in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western and Eastern Visayas, Soccsksargen and Caraga Region reached 557,851 metric tons (MT). Broken down, rice …

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Govt asked to stop fossil fuel use amid separate sea mishaps in Luzon

Following severe tropical storm Kristine and super typhoon Leon  Greenpeace has called on the government to end fossil fuel dependence and to demand payment for loss and damage from those most responsible for the climate crisis. Typhoon Kristine killed at least 150 people and left at least P 6.5 billion in damages to infrastructure and agriculture. It also ran aground …

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Govt. admits tariff cut on rice was inutile

By Rose de la Cruz What leaders of palay farmers groups have been saying all along– that the reduced tariff on imported rice from 35 to 15 percent did not result in a P1 price cut in the retail market– is now being confirmed by data of the Philippine Statistics Authority since the implementation of EO 62 in August. The …

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Palay output to plunge from extreme weather

By Rose de la Cruz For months now, I have been ‘advising’ the Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Statistics Authority not to be over-dreaming their palay production and rice inventory figures, which reality like extreme weather patterns could wipe out in just seconds. So now, the DA is resigned to the reality that production would plunge– much to their …

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Manila wants to use coco oil for sustainable aviation fuel

By Rose de la Cruz Despite efforts to discredit the health benefits of coconut oil,  the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and Japan-based Manryu Co. Ltd. will continue to explore  the use of coconut oil as primary feedstock in the production of sustainable aviation fuel. A memorandum of understanding (MOU)  between the PCA – an attached agency of the Department of …

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Phl milk output to breach 30,000 metric tons

The country’s milk output for 2024 will hit 32,000 metric tons owing to increasing number of dairy animals, according  to the latest US Department of Agriculture report.. “Production will recover at the level of 32,000 MT [metric tons] in 2024 attributed to the increasing number of dairy animals,” according to USDA  report published by Business Mirror. The USDA also projected …

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