Agriculture

By Rose de la Cruz It took House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to involve a full-blown House probe into the illegal operation of a resort inside the Chocolate Hills protected park that was supposed to host this year a swimming competition by the local government of Bohol, despite a closure order slapped by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. …

With 100,000 hectares of sugarcane fields in the country’s sugar capital – Bacolod, Negros Occidental –  having been affected by the ongoing drought, supply will be further tight and would necessitate more imports. The United Sugar Producers Federations of the Philippines (UNIFED) said rising temperatures and lack of rain have devastated vast tracts of sugarcane fields in the Negros provinces, …

The Department of Agriculture has alloted P24.9-billion for machineries procurement of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) even as PhilMech has distributed 26,412 farm equipment over the last four years funded by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. The farm machineries, distributed between mid-2020 and March 3, 2024 were delivered to 368 local government units (LGUs) and 6,385 …

President Marcos has appointed four more top officials at the Department of Agriculture, virtually filling up all top vacant positions in DA. Appointed were DA National Rice Program Undersecretary Christopher Morales, Cheryl Marie NatividadpCaballero as Undersecretary for High Value Crops, academician Dexter Respicio Buted, former president of the Pangasinan State University as board member of the Philippine Coconut Authority and …

Because of the anomalous sale of the National Food Authority (NFA) of what it called sale to its select private traders of “old and deteriorating” rice stocks, the agency is now under severe tight watch from all sides – except by the courts yet – at a price grossly disadvantageous to the government. The said anomalous sale was first reported …

Habitat loss and human persecution – brought about by myths and legends – have caused the decimation of both fresh and saltwater crocodiles by 82 percent, said Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga at the 29th Crocodile Conservation Week held in Puerto Princesa City. “Despite destructive activities by humanity, the crocodiles, now considered critically endangered …

In decades past, the Philippines was tops in natural mangroves population in its lakes and shorelines, which through the years were indiscriminately logged over by artisan and commercial furniture makers, people in the remote communities who used them for fencing and all crafts imaginable, and by fisherfolk and farmers. The mangroves were also converted into salt and fish farms, thereby …

By Rose de la Cruz Though officials of the Marcos administration announced an easing of inflation in January 2024, it could not dismiss its headache – elevated rice inflation reaching 22.6% last January from 19.6% the month prior. This is because of the continuing rice prices around the globe, caused by fears of a supply lack due to El Nino …

By Rose de la Cruz The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority reported it had provided over 56,000 rice farmers with the proper skills and education to ensure the sustainability of agriculture and help the country attain its self-sufficiency targets taster. In a statement, TESDA Secretary Suiharto Mangudatatu said the rice farmers and their family members completed various agriculture and …

Farmers in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro have increased their average harvest from 6 tons per hectare to 9 ton following their specialized training under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Rice Extension Service (RCEF-RESP) program. The Katipunan Magading Farmers’ Association (KAMAFA attributes the 3 t/ha. Growth to the adoption of synchronous planting following a 30-day rest period and Minus-One Element Technique …