Agriculture

Arthur Laffer, founder/chairman of Laffer Associated, an economic research and consulting company, has raised concerns that the Philippines’ tobacco excise tax rate has entered a “prohibitive range,” as indicated by declining government revenue. Laffer, known for the Laffer Curve theory which describes the relationship between tax rates and government revenue, highlighted that the continuous increase in tobacco tax rates has …

The  University of Asia and Pacific Center for Food and Agribusiness said the contribution of agriculture and fisheries to the country’s gross domestic product this year will drop by 1 to 2 percent because of the poor performance of crops, livestock and fisheries, owing to the El Nino and successive strong typhoons in October and November. “Overall, we see a …

By Rose de la Cruz Just to make a hard pitch for the return of powers to the National Food Authority over rice, the Department of Agriculture is now claiming to be powerless over rice profiteers, who have been manipulating supply in the market just so they could dictate the retail prices for consumers. Good that Reps. Joey Salceda and …

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 …