NextGen Day

In 2021, the Department of Agriculture (DA) faced a number of obstacles, including calamity-related damage and African swine fever (ASF), but it remained focused on programs that would improve food security and agricultural product quality.

Secretary William Dar stated that the agency will continue to give its all to facilitate the economic recovery following the Covid-19 outbreak.

“For those who are already fed up with quarantine lockdowns and movement limitations, the pandemic continues to hinder any semblance of routine.” In agriculture, the African swine fever outbreak, a string of natural disasters, and a global increase in input prices such as corn, soybeans, fertilizer, and gasoline have exacerbated the issue. In a statement, he stated, “Our work is far from done.”

All DA heads of office have been asked to reallocate unutilized 2021 monies to priority focus areas, as well as to Typhoon Odette recovery and rehabilitation activities.

According to a memorandum order (MO) released on Tuesday, effective fund use, proactive planning and implementation, publication of operations manuals for all units, and institutionalization of the United Nations’ food systems concept would be prioritized in 2022.

Advancing the cause of sustainability

Dar’s administration pushed for urban farming among households to ensure that food would be accessible to all Filipinos.

He requested PHP1.1 billion earlier this year for urban agriculture projects such as community gardens where people may get their food.

The DA also encouraged investors to invest in agriculture in order to increase self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported goods, which puts pressure on the local economy.

“We encourage LGUs and the private sector to invest in agriculture and fishery infrastructure and livelihood projects, particularly in palay (unhusked rice) procurement, drying, storage, and rice milling facilities, farmers’ trading and consolidation centers, cold storage facilities, and logistics such as reefer and food delivery vans,” Dar said.

According to Undersecretary for Fisheries and Agri-industrialization Cheryl Marie Caballero, the DA is also focusing on foreign direct investments through its marketing and international affairs teams to bundle big-ticket investment projects.

Products of higher quality have a higher worth.

Although achieving competitive and high-quality products will take time, the DA is adamant that the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) is game-changing reform legislation that has broken the country’s rice sector’s decades-long inefficiency and improved its prospects for global competitiveness.

“The RTL is a transformative reform that benefits all industry stakeholders, most notably farmers and consumers,” the DA said. “It liberalizes rice trade by imposing tariffs on imports instead of quantitative restrictions and provides a yearly PHP10 billion budget through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) for six years to empower Filipino rice farmers and enable them to compete with their ASEAN counterparts,” the DA said.

The RCEF, in conjunction with the DA Philippine Integrated Rice Program, has reached a number of milestones as it approaches the mid-term.

In 42 RCEF provinces, average palay production increased by 17% to 4.26 metric tons (MT) per hectare (ha), up from 3.64 MT/ha; average production cost decreased by PHP1, from PHP12.52/kilogram (kg); and seed requirement per hectare using a mechanical seeder decreased by 67 percent, from 90 kg to 30 kg, and by 33% to 60 kg using the manual method.

The RCEF aims to increase average palay production to 5 MT/ha by the end of its six-year term, up from 3.64 MT/ha in 2019, lower production costs by PHP2/kg to PHP3/kg, reduce postharvest losses by 2 to 3%, and boost average farmers’ income by 30% for those who use RCEF drying and milling facilities.

The Duterte government is also granting rice farmers with two hectares or less who are registered with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture unconditional cash support of PHP5,000, known as the Rice Farmers’ Financial Assistance, under the RTL.

Recovery of the hog industry

According to the latest statistics from the Bureau of Animal Industry, the DA has received requests for indemnification from ASF-affected backyard hog raisers totaling PHP2.158 billion.

A total of PHP1.697 billion has already been distributed to 48,530 farmers who own 379,420 killed hogs.

The remaining funds will be used to compensate backyard raisers who own around 92,200 culled hogs.

Through the Land Bank of the Philippines, worth PHP30 billion; the Development Bank of the Philippines, worth PHP12 billion; and the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Credit Policy Council, worth PHP800 million, the government will lend PHP42.8 billion to the backyard and commercial hog raisers in ASF-free areas.

To date, the DA has given 8,169 sentinel pigs to 3,061 farmer-beneficiaries in 312 ASF-free barangays under the hog repopulation initiative.

It will also build 10 community-based production facilities worth PHP50 million in ASF-free or green zones through clustering and consolidation, including a climate-controlled 300-head grower capacity building in a bio-secured area; and 16 swine breeder multiplier farms worth PHP125 million in partnership with hog farmers’ cooperatives and associations, LGUs, and state universities and colleges, according to DA-National Livestock Program Director Ruth Miclat.

Furthermore, the DA encourages home and commercial hog farmers to ensure their animals with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, which offers insurance coverage of up to PHP10,000 for fatteners and PHP14,500 for breeders.

Too far, the DA has acquired and supplied 134 ASF fast polymerase chain reaction test kits to assist afflicted LGUs in early detection and sustained surveillance activities on the ground through their provincial veterinarians.

Family of OneDA

Officials and staff members from the Department of Agriculture have been tasked with reviewing the budget allocation for 2022 and supporting the key objectives outlined in the OneDA reform program.

Dar said in his MO, “Let us enhance our investments in more revolutionary initiatives that will assist consolidate, modernize, industrialize, and professionalize Philippine agriculture.”

Executives and staff members of the DA are also being pushed to concentrate on improving their technical and managerial abilities in order to take on more duties.

The professionalization of DA workers is a key component of the OneDA reform plan.

The department’s Policy and Planning Division, which will write the OneDA Reform Agenda operations manual, has been tasked with monitoring and evaluating how each unit performs in relation to the OneDA agenda.

“The goal is to establish a more sustainable and inclusive food system, taking into account many variables that contribute to each system’s efficiency, leaving no stone unturned – for a more sustainable and equitable value chain,” Dar explained.

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