By Rose de la Cruz Despite the government’s claims that farmgate prices are at P18 to P24 per kg., the more realistic report is coming from farmers who are complaining that current farmgate prices are driving them to their graves. In a radio interview, the Magsasaka Partylist said at least three Nueva Ecija– the country’s rice bowl for decades now– …
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By Rose de la Cruz The Masungi Georeserve in Rizal will be the Marcos administration’s litmus test on its commitment to either environmental conservation and preservation or its hunger for foreign investments regardless of possible destruction to the environment. If it upholds the eviction of the foundation that has been reforesting and conserving the the Sierra Madre Mountain ranges,, often …
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By Rose de la Cruz Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who was guest of honor and speaker at the inauguration Sunday of the P200-million Bio N biofertilizer plant facility of the Agri Specialist Inc. in Sta. Rosa, Laguna asked why the adoption of biofertilizer in the rice sector has been too slow and why there was more imported biofertilizers when a …
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BEYOND ELLIPTICALBy Rose Marie de la Cruz Farmgate prices for palay– which is now beginning harvest– have been dropping to as low as P14 per kilogram (even lower than the historical average of P16 per kg). Industry sources blamed the declining farmgate prices to low price of imports and low productivity of our farmers (amid high cost of production inputs …
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A review of the Rice Tariffication Law to determine if it had complied with its commitment to keep prices of rice at affordable levels and help rice farmers through various initiatives is needed. Comebacking Rep. Teodoro Baguilat Jr. (Ifugao) said the RTL was supposed to prop up the country’s rice sector through collection of tariffs from imports. The RTL, passed …
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After setting a P58 per kg suggested retail price (SRP) for rice last January 20, the Department of Agriculture is setting a P380 per kg SRP for liempo (belly) and P350 per kg for kasim (shoulder) and pigue (hind legs) beginning March 10. The SRP would be adopted in markets of the National Capital Region to ease the financial strain …
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With the ban on March 4 on importation of domestic and wild birds, poultry products from Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania because of bird flu outbreaks in these states, the Department of Agriculture expects local chicken prices to soar. In a press release, the DA said the temporary ban, contained in Memorandum Order 14, aims to protect the health of …
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BEYOND ELLIPTICALBy Rose Marie de la Cruz I don’t blame AgriSpecialist Inc., a legitimate and massive investor in a biofertilizer plant, a cheap but technically and scientifically- tested product, for looking to export its product to the Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and other markets for its field-vetted soil rejuvenator in view of decades long use of urea and other fossil-fuel based chemical …
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The Department of Agriculture (DA) is finalizing the minimum access volume (MAV) quota for pork imports this month of 55,000 metric tons amid pressure from meat importers and traders. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said of the 55,000 MT around 30,000 MT would be allocated to meat processors and 10,000 MT will be “equally distributed” to meat traders, he told …
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Chicken from four states of the United States were temporarily banned from being imported here because of confirmed avian flu outbreaks. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued Memorandum Order (MO) 11 banning such imports of domestic and wild birds, including their products such as poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from the states of Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. …
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