Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is finalizing a draft bill that would restore critical functions of the National Food Authority (NFA) to stabilize rice supply and prices in the country. The draft legislation follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision of food security where  every Filipino household can access affordable staples, especially rice. Crucial to every Filipino’s nourishment, rice holds economic, …

Unable to meet current local requirements for onions, the Department of Agriculture is allowing the importation of red and yellow onions to meet such demand amid soaring domestic prices. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said he had approved onion imports as allium inventories were expected to thin out in the latter part of the year, based on the latest …

BEYOND ELLIPTICAL By Rose Marie de la Cruz For several years now, the Philippines relied heavily on Vietnam for rice to address supply shortfalls amid growing demand and declining production from the impact of climate change. Currently it is looking at possibly sourcing its supplies from countries like India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar– all in the southeast– which though farther …

As regulator and watchdog of the fertilizer and pesticides sector both for imported and local farm chemicals, the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority under Executive Director Glenn Estrada led operatives of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-NCR in confiscating P4 million worth of unregistered and unlicensed farm chemicals recently. The FPA, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, said …

By Rose de la Cruz Even as the Department of Agriculture is still studying setting a floor price for palay (unmilled rice), a farm group —  Bantay Bigas —  is proposing that it set the minimum farmgate price of P21 per kilogram, to ensure a better return for the farmers. Bantay Bigas spokesperson Cathy Estavillo said the floor price would …

The sweet mangoes of the Philippines made its debut shipment to Italy recently with the first batch of 500 kilograms arriving at Rome’s  Fiumicino Airport. This historic shipment was made possible through the collaboration between Filipino entrepreneurs, the Philippine Embassy in Rome and the Department of Agriculture. Sourced from the premier mango region of Pangasinan, the shipment underwent and passed …

As the push to modernize agriculture through mechanization from land preparation, transplanting and harvesting, rural jobs are getting scarcer even in the face of labor shortages. At the recent Lakbay-Agham: Catching up with Scientists in Nueva Ecija,” an annual event of the Philippine Rice Research Institute, scientists have cautioned against pursuing mechanization without regard for regional labor conditions that if …

Scientists from the UP Diliman-College of Science conducted the first detailed microbial genomic study of a submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) site in Mabini, Batangas, and  uncovered the potential roles of microorganisms in medical applications and biotechnology, a UPD-CS press release said. SGD occurs when groundwater from land seeps into the ocean, transporting freshwater, nutrients, metals, and even pollutants into marine …

BEYOND ELLIPTICAL By Rose Marie de la Cruz I completely agree with the Federation of Free Farmers in calling for a leadership change at the Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform and Labor and Employment. Clearly, these agencies have fallen short of their targets and commitments. In a statement, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) called on President Marcos Jr. to …

The Makati Business Club urged the government to invest more in farm infrastructure like irrigation, drying and storage facilities than subsidizing rice, which would bring down rice prices to P20 per kilogram. Infrastructure investment is more sustainable and efficient than subsidizing rice prices, MBC Chairman Edgar O. Chua told reporters emphasizing that the key is to reduce farmer reliance on …