Agriculture

Persistence in developing agricultural products like coconuts and avocados does not just add value to the crop but also enhances its marketability and ultimately its sustainability as a business.  With this, Czarina J. Sevilla, founder and CEO of Avocadoria.ph  was chosen as the EY (Ernst & Young) Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Philippines.  A program of  the SGV Foundation, Inc. …

President Marcos is pleased  that  prices of milled rice are dropping, which would provide a relief on inflation that has stayed on the upside in several months this year and caused growth to slow down a bit. In a news release, Malacanang said  President Marcos is optimistic that the cost of rice would stabilize consistent with current prices in Southeast …

Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. will hold monthly dialogues with farmers, businessmen and traders of agricultural commodities to find out how best to improve their output and markets. The monthly meetings would help the DA better attend to the needs of every industry. “There’s many of them  (agricultural commodities). We really need to focus, and DA must …

An official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) quelled fears that the ban imposed by the European Union on imported agricultural products linked to forest degradation would affect the Philippines, saying the impact would be minimal. “Our internal consultations have shown that the potential impact on our exports is minimal,” said Director Sherylyn D. Aquia of the DTI- …

By Rose de la Cruz Imported frozen meats and fisheries products, just like rice, are being held in the country’s ports for reasons like incomplete documentation; 100 percent inspection for safety reasons, and the failure of importers to show appropriate import clearances for such items. For this the government– through the Bureaus of Customs, the Philippine Ports Authority, and regulatory …

With the population of farmers and fishermen having reach 50 to 60, pretty soon these noble livelihood would soon be gone. This is why the House of Representatives has approved, on third and final reading, House Bill 10840, and forwarded it to the Senate for deliberation and approval. The bill seeks to promote and harness the potential of young farming …

With the lifting of the three-year ban on chicken imports from the United Kingdom by the Department of Agriculture (DA), that country hopes to regain its status as one of the top suppliers of chicken in the Philippine market.  UK chickens were found to be free from the highly pathogenic avian flu influenza. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in …

The Department of Agriculture is looking at additional funding from international development partners to address critical challenges in the agricultural sector and fill large gaps in farm infrastructure due to the lack of significant investments in the past three decades. Addressing the Manila Overseas Press Club, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA is cognizant of the …

By Rose de la Cruz The optimism of the Department of Agriculture about adequate or no shortage of rice this year is commendable and something worth pondering. Where is the optimism of abundant rice coming from– is it the massive imports or from domestic production? Imagine, DA Assistant Secretary and spokesman Arnel V. de Mesa saying that the expected 400,000 …

Despite bigger import volumes of rice brought about by reduced tariffs, domestic retail prices for the grain have remained high at P50 to P65 per kilogram, market inspections showed. Imported rice that landed the country as of September 5 of nearly 2.9 million metrijc tons at reduced tariff of 15 percent (from 35 percent previously) by virtue of Executive Order …