Agriculture

After getting bashed by all sectors  for its outrageous plan to impose a maximum suggested retail price of P58 per kg for imported rice, now the Department of Agriculture wants to adopt a lower MSRP of P49 beginning March. But that would hinge on a favorable pricing condition in the global market  to persist by then. During a market inspection …

The Department of Agriculture is hoping to  boost egg production and ensure that most people would still be able to afford eggs, the cheapest and immediate food source and livelihood for many people. In a statement, the DA says it has set aside  P85-million funding to implement the chicken layer project or the LOVE project that would establish small-scale egg …

A human strain of H5N1 bird flu isolated in Texas shows mutations enabling better replication in human cells and causing more severe disease in mice compared to a bovine strain. While the virus isn’t yet spreading between humans, experts warn of its potential to evolve and stress the need for antiviral preparedness and improved animal control measures. Researchers at Texas …

BEYOND ELLIPTICAL By Rose Marie de la Cruz Former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Cielito Habito (now a columnist for Inquirer) wrote recently about the youth and agriculture and why it is so difficult to attract young people to go into farming (not as farm laborer) —  a path where they could become their own bosses and where their creativity and curiosity …

By Rose de la Cruz Weather  permitting, the Department of Agriculture is hopeful that this year’s harvest of 20.46 million metric tons would surpass the record in 2023 of 20 MMT.  But  in a La Nina year, where either abundant rainfall  or very hot weather could prevail, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said he is optimistic about achieving bumper rice …

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has allotted P85.19 million to establish a network of egg production facilities for small-scale growers. In Memorandum Order No. 2, the DA said the program will fund the construction of small-scale egg production facilities as a Livelihood Opportunities and Viable Enterprise project, Business World reported. “The Chicken Layer Project involves the establishment of small egg …

House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin  of Iloilo was piqued at the recent hearing of the Murang Pagkain supercommittee with the failure of the Department of Agriculture to explain how it arrived at the P58 per kg. as the maximum suggested retail price.  Garin called that rate as “unrealistic” and a “disservice” to consumers saying the DA failed to address …

The  Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched the Agricultural and Fisheries Logistics Office (AFLO) to tackle inefficiencies in the farm-to-market supply chain and ensure food security, which Secretary Francsco Tiu Laurel Jr. hope would reduce post harvest losses significantly, address logistical bottlenecks including poor infrastructure and insufficient cold storage facilities. “AFLO is key to building a resilient and sustainable food …

The Philippines has officially lost the 3rd spot in the global banana export market to Colombia in 2024, which shipped out 29,000 metric tons more than the Philippines. Colombia exported 2.31 million metric tons to the world while the Philippines ssent only 2.28 MMT, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Ecuador remained the world’s top exporter of bananas, with …

Last January 10, the Department of Agriculture reported a thin supply of red onions, causing spikes in its local retail prices, ranging from P100 to P180 per kg in Manila markets, or an increase from P70 to P150/kg a month ago. DA Undersecretary for high value crops  Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero said this could be due to factors like high demand, …