Philippine Agriculture Faces Challenges of Sustainability

Philippine agriculture faces challenges of sustainability

Agricultural productivity now faces the challenge of sustainability as farmers themselves have gradually “fallen out of love” on the green fields.

This is the observation of Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Proceso Alcala who is lamenting that in practically all areas he had visited in the country, he has found that not many students are interested in agriculture and that only very few farmers want their children to follow in their footsteps.

“Lahat ng bayan na pinupuntahan naming (in all the towns we’ve visited), this is the situation,” Alcala said.

The agriculture secretary made these observations as he graced the opening of the three-day Bohol Organic Agriculture Summit and 11th Ubi Festival here last Tuesday.

In his keynote speech during the opening program at the Bohol Cultural Center, Alcala was amazed to see many hands when he asked the crowd how many farmers were there, but later lamented that barely a quarter of the parents and farmers in the crowd actually want their children to take up agriculture.

He said farmers “don’t even take pride of being tillers of the land, when, in fact, they produce the food that other professionals eat.”

On this matter, Alcala sought support from local officials and the agriculture sector in efforts to hone the skills of farmers and fishermen and develop them into entrepreneurs so as to uplift the image of those working in the agriculture sector and making the farming profession attractive to the younger generation.

“Our President (Benigno Simeon Aquino III) gave me an instruction to inform you that his administration is willing to invest in our kababayan. The 2011 budget includes an allocation for the training of farmers,” Alcala said.

He also announced that he had already endorsed the Implementing Rules and Regulation of the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 which is set for publication soon.

He hailed Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto as his co-author in drafting the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 when they passed its bill in Congress and had even cited the governor for having been very enthusiastic about the proposed legislation.

The Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 provides for the validation of organic products and its required allocation for the national certifier, Alcala said.

He also announced that the Department of Agriculture will make ube(purple yam) part of the master development plan to coincide road maps in different areas of the country.

Reader Comments

I think why most of our young generation lost their faith in farming because of this few following reasons:

1) comercial feeds and fertilizers are so expensive.. so profitability is so minimal that at the end of the day you only left with debts..

2) theres no financial and educational support for our local farmers.

3) only few business people are committed in micro financing to support our farmers. the banks are not lending money for the poor farmers.

4) yes our government has a lot of agri programs but no educational program for our farmers. how would they know if theres no education and financial support from our gov. We need a guaranteed buyer for our products and dedicated financier for our farmers. i think the government should take care some of the cost of feeds and fertilizers. a tax exempt or something.

For example,The duck farming in our country will never be the same as other country because of the price of our feeds.

By Manila Bulletin


A change in attitude will be a change in results. Education, training, mentoring, and complete support of all resources to Philippine farmers will result in success over time, and a change in the negative attitude that has been created over the decades with Philippine farmers will turn positive. The time is now for action before the food crisis gets worse and its an even harder struggle to recover. The investment will have great returns for those who have the forward vision.

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Philippine Agriculture and China's Food Imports Opportunity

Philippine Agriculture Urged to Tap Chinese Middle-Class Market

The Philippine agriculture industry is urged to capitalize on China’s growing middle-class market, with its rising disposable income and more affluent lifestyles which include an increasing demand for imported foods.

Philippine Ambassador to China, Franciso L. Benedicto believe now is the "ripe time" for stakeholders in the country's agricultural exports to penetrate the Chinese market as studies show that in the next few years, China is projected to be the world's biggest importer of agriculture and agri-food products.

"With a huge potential market of about 1.3 billion people and escalating economic influence, China could become an exporter's paradise for those who know how to navigate the Chinese marketplace," Benedicto said in a statement.

According to the Benedicto, due to China's geographical size and vast population, the country has a highly segmented market where consumers and their purchasing habit differ across regions and provinces. "This could definitely work to an exporter's benefit," he said.

Benedicto noted that a growing number of the Chinese population is becoming more aware of the benefits of a healthy diet, thus, health, organics and natural food products are rising in popularity.

The younger generation and the upwardly mobile in China, he said, is now carving a niche for ready-to-eat gourmet food.

Benedicto cited Filipino delicacies such as crab paste and laing (taro leaves cooked in coconut milk) used as spread or toppings for biscuits, bread and pasta as stirring the Chinese palate.

In addition, banana chips and polvoron (shortbread cookies), mango, calamansi, coconut juices, purees and concentrates are also fast becoming popular in China.

He said the biggest buyers of banana chips are from Hong Kong, which distributes the snack food in attractive packages to thousands of outlets in mainland China.

The Chinese upper market is also showing greater interest in olive oil, soya and mushroom coffee, arrowroot cookies and instant ginger tea, and even Philippine products like malunggay noodles and powder.

There are also bright prospects for Philippine farm and fishery exports including tuna, shrimps, prawns, octopus and lobsters; fresh and chilled vegetables such as asparagus and okra; fresh guavas, bananas, papayas; and coconut products like virgin coconut oil, coco vinegar, dessicated coconut and fresh and young coconuts.

Benedicto said that to ensure that Philippine agricultural and agri-food products gain a foothold in China, "due diligence by our exporters is essential."

He urged, "Potential exporters must carefully examine the viability and marketability of their products before exporting their goods to China.”

Local producers are likewise told to pay closer attention to product presentation as Chinese buyers note a strong need to greatly improve the packaging of food products, particularly snack biscuits, calamansi juice and banana chips sold in retail.

By Manila Bulletin


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Senator Pangilinan Sees Increasing Food Crisis

Pangilinan Sees Food Crisis as Farmers Getting Fewer

Filipino farmers are growing old and the young people are not replacing them in the fields.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, said this was an “unseen crisis” in the industry which could affect the country's food supply in the next few years.

The Philippines has about 4.3 million farmers, tilling an average of 2.5 hectares of land each, Pangilinan said in a media briefing.

Their average age is 57, much too old to till the fields. “This is reaching crisis level. If we don’t correct this in three years, we will have a problem getting our output,” he said.

Pangilinan said the demographics indicated that younger Filipinos were not enticed to enter in the agricultural sector. For them, farming is not a way out to poverty, he said.

“Their grandfathers were poor, their fathers were poor,” he said.

“Why don’t they come in? Because they don't find it viable,” he added.

Pangilinan said the key to encouraging new blood in the agricultural sector was to improve support to farmers so that they could increase their income.

He favored the strengthening of the local government’s role in agricultural productivity because the local executives know the needs of their farmers.

“I am more partial to the idea of just letting the [Department of Agriculture] set the policy direction and then let the local governments implement [that policy],” Pangilinan said.

The local governments’ capacity building should be improved so that they can provide the right agricultural extension services to farmers, he said.

Economists and experts said the Philippine government's weak extension service is one of the reasons for the low yield in the farm sector.

Currently, Pangilinan said the Senate was conducting hearings on Senate Bill No. 1337 or the “Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Act of 2010.” The bill, introduced by Sen. Loren Legarda, calls for the creation of the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Agency (Pafea).

“It shall serve as the national apex organization for a unified and efficient agriculture and fisheries extension system of the country. It shall ensure that public extension services meet the national standards of performance and effectively contribute towards the achievement of the national goals of agriculture and fisheries modernization and sustainable development,” the bill said.

By Philippine Daily Inquirer

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More Rice Imports for 2011

Private Sector May Import 440,000 MT of Rice in 2011

The Philippine government is keen on allowing the private sector to import as much as 440,000 metric tons (MT) of milled rice this year, in keeping with its goal of increasing private-sector participation in the importation of the staple.

Angelito T. Banayo, administrator of the National Food Authority (NFA), said that while there is no decision yet on the volume of rice that will be imported by the Philippines, the government wants the private sector to double its allocation for 2011.

“[The NFA Council] will give the private sector a bigger share than last year. Last year, the private sector brought in 220,000 MT of rice. They would probably get double [that volume in 2011],” said Banayo in a telephone interview.

Banayo, who is vice-chairman of the NFA Council, said the council would have a decision when it meets on Friday.

The council, which is the governing body of the NFA, consists of the Agriculture Secretary, the governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Finance Secretary, the president of the Land Bank of the Philippines, the chairman of the Development Bank of the Philippines and a farmer representative.

The NFA chief revealed that the food agency’s current rice inventory stands at around 1.4 million metric tons (MMT), which is good for 41 days based on an average daily consumption of 36,000 MT.  Banayo said the NFA Council would take into account the rice inventory of the agency as it deliberates on the volume of rice it will import.

He said the government would have to ensure that the NFA would have a buffer stock pegged at 30 days or an equivalent of about 1.08 MMT at the start of the lean months or by July.

“We may have to reconsider this volume given the increasing prices of other commodities in the global market which could impact the price of rice. We’re looking at increasing the buffer stock to [an equivalent of] 40 days’ consumption,” said Banayo.

The government may schedule tenders for rice within the first quarter this year to ensure that the Philippines will have enough supply of rice once the lean season starts.

Among the threats to commodity prices this year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) noted, is the changing weather patterns caused by climate change. For the rice market, Banayo noted that flooding in Australia as well as Indonesia’s entry in the rice market are expected to put pressure on global supply.

“Indonesia will import rice this year and we’re worried na baka kapusin ng supply [there could be a shortage],” he said.

To ensure that the Philippines will be able to have enough supply of rice while it shoots for self sufficiency by 2013 the government renewed a supply agreement with Vietnam.

Under the memorandum of agreement (MOA) which will remain in effect until 2013 the Philippines will be a priority market for Vietnamese rice.

The first MOA was signed in 2008 at the height of the rice crisis and will remain in effect until June 2011.

“The Vietnamese government agrees to sell, unless under circumstances of natural disaster and harvest loss, and the Philippines agrees to buy, up to 1,500,000 MT of Vietnamese white rice annually for starting year 2008, subject to market and production conditions and to terms allowable under applicable laws of both countries,” the Manila-Hanoi MOA read.

In 2010 the Philippines bought 2.4 MMT of rice mostly from Vietnam and Thailand. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala maintained that the importation for this year will not exceed half of the volume bought by the government last year.

By Business Mirror


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Philippine Corn Harvest Increase Forecasted

Philippine Corn production seen at 7.4 MMT in 2011, up .6 MMT

Corn farmers belonging to the Philippine Maize Federation (Philmaize) are confident that corn production will hit 7.4 million metric tons (MMT) in 2011 from the estimated output of 6.8 MMT for the whole of 2010.

Roger Navarro, president of Philmaize, said the expected increase in output is due to good weather coupled with the expected increase in areas planted to corn in Cagayan Valley.

“I am very positive that because of good weather conditions, good prices and the expansion of areas planted to corn, production in 2011 would surpass the expected production for 2010,” said Navarro in a telephone interview.

The Philmaize official said the good price of yellow corn in the local market, currently pegged at a range of P15 to P16 per kilogram, is encouraging farmers to go into corn planting.

“Even the international price of corn is good. It is currently at a range of P14.60 to P15.60 per kilo,” said Navarro.

Corn farmers, he said, are benefiting from the moderate La Niña episode, which is bringing rains to farmlands in most major corn-growing areas in the country.

“Moderate-strength La Niña conditions remained in the tropical pacific during the month of November. Oceanic and atmospheric indices were still consistent with the characteristics of the cold Enso (El Niño Southern Oscillation) phase. Most climate models predict that this event will continue at least into the March-April-May 2011 season,” said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in its Dec. 6 advisory.

Navarro disclosed that in February, after rice has been harvested in areas near Magat Dam in Cagayan Valley, farmers would plant corn as a “quick turnaround” crop.

“There will be an additional 60,000 hectares planted to corn. Assuming that the production would reach 5 metric tons [MT] per hectare, madadagdagan ng 300,000 MT of corn ang output for 2011,” he said.

For 2010, however, Philmaize said it expects output to settle at its earlier projection of 6.8 MMT.

The corn sector has been badly hit by the El Niño weather phenome-non, which ravaged farms in the first half of 2010.

The dry spell caused farmers to delay their planting and consequently delayed the harvest of the crops.

Aside from the dry spell, the sector was also hit by typhoons, notably Typhoon Juan, which damaged P367.96 million worth of corn grains this year.

By Business Mirror


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Nutriplant Nutriplus Organics Protocol Input Costs Per Hectare for All Types of Crops

Includes organic nutrients for seed sowing.

P2,500 1 Spray Application - For Rice Always Apply at Panicle Initiation

P3,800 2 Spray Application - Typical for rice, corn, fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

P5,200 3 Spray Application - Full Nutriplant Nutriplus application protocol with no other application required of any other nutrient fertilizer products.

Increase harvests, naturally organically, with lower input costs.

Good for the farmer, the environment, and the consumer.




Nutriplant Organic Fertilizers

Click the links below to naturally and organically increase harvest productions with lower input costs.

Click here to review Nutriplus NPK 4-18-18 Organic Fertilizer

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Click here to review APSA80 All Purpose Spray Adjuvant

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