Agriculture

By Rose de la Cruz A two-week joint aerial patrol of the Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Canada’s Fisheries and Oceans Dash 8 surveillance aircraft was able to monitor at least 88 illegal fishermen on the eastern coast of the Philippines up to the high seas near Palau. The use of a Canadian air asset to find …

The private sector had been undertaking mangrove reforestation programs as part  of their commitments to corporate social responsibility since the 1990s. But despite the good intentions, they must correct flaws in their CSR programs on  mangrove which had been done mostly in existing mudflats and seagrass beds. This was the advice of the Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines (GMA Philippines) which …

Hopes  for sugarcane farmers to have a better Yuletide income have been dashed by erratic, often on the downside, prices of sugar, which obviously is being controlled by traders. Sugar producers said millgate prices for their cane have dropped since the start of the milling season, with the United Sugar producers Federation (UNIFED) deploring a possible profiteering by traders. “We …

The  competition posed by artificial sweeteners and the low buying prices for cane by millers and processors, have caused concern for the local sugar industry, prompting the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to look at increasing import clearance fees and other protective measures for the cane farmers and growers. “Our (intent) is to gather accurate data on how much (alternatives) are …

The deficit in agricultural trade during the third quarter slightly rose from $2.97 billion a year ago to $3,01 billion (or by 1.5 percent)  this year, amid a slowdown in imports with the harvest of local products. The Philippine Statistics Authority said the amount was definitely smaller compared to the deficit in the second quarter this year of $3.07 billion. …

By Rose de la Cruz As the country was able to save P3.6 billion(or 300,000 tons of rice)  from reduced wastage, the Department of Agriculture, through the Philippine Rice Research Institute, is now trying to institutionalize the practice of serving (by restaurants, carinderia and other dining centers) of half cup rice to customers to ensure that wastage would continue to …

By Rose de la Cruz The Sugar Regulatory Administration plans to expand sugar plantations in Mindanao — where the soil is rich, the weather is suitable and stable and land is aplenty. At the 23rd Joint Annual General Assembly of Sugarcane Growers Association of Bukidnon Inc. and the Sugarcane Farmers of Bukidnon Multi-Purpose Cooperative recently, SRA Administrator Pabo Luis Azcona …

The  Department of Agriculture (DA) released guidelines for the implementation of the 25,000 metric tons (MT) of imported frozen fish and aquatic products. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed  the Certificate of Necessity to Import (CNI) to curb inflation, ensure food security, and diversify food choices, Business Mirror reported. Under the Memorandum Order (MO) 51, the maximum importable volume …

The Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) asked the national government to review the agricultural production system amid the country’s growing dependence on imports, which risks food security and climate change and geopolitical tensions. “Given the increasing dependence on imports to meet local food requirements, it is important to review and revisit the agricultural production system particularly in light …

The  spate of typhoons in October and November  that crossed wide swaths of areas in Northern and Central Luzon, including Visayas and some parts of Mindanao, had forced farmers to rethink their planting strategies to quick-maturing crops so they increase the likelihood of harvesting before storm signals are raised. Nilor S. Go, an  Isabela farmer planting  rice and yellow corn, …