The Department of Agriculture (DA) has bared new efforts to increase yields in the livestock, fisheries and poultry subsectors in the face of the country’s fast growing population and the challenges posed by climate change.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said that alongside increasing production in these subsectors, as well as in palay and corn — the country’s two most important grains — the department will also intensify the implementation of programs to raise output in other basic and high-value commodities, including bio-ethanol, milk and coffee.
In a speech read for him by undersecretary and DA chief of staff Bernie Fondevilla, Yap said that the department’s initiatives to increase the production of these commodities will take into account the pressures of population growth and the realities of climate change on food production.
“Indeed, we live in era of enormous challenges for those involved in and supportive of agriculture, hunger mitigation and countryside development efforts,” said Yap during the recent 1st Food Industry Summit. “The twin forces of poverty and population growth exert tremendous pressure on our efforts to produce sufficient, safe and nutritious foodstuff for every Filipino family.”
As two million people are added to the country’s population each year, farmers have less and less land to till owing to urban and industrial development, he said.
“Further compounding these challenges, are the realities of a changing global climate, which have direct impact on food production and distribution systems, and the ongoing financial meltdown worldwide, which is threatening to slowdown agri-fishery investments,” he said.
For livestock and poultry, Yap said the DA is — (1) prioritizing disease control and genetic improvement, (2) implementing measures to increase growth in the carabao sector, and (3) expanding dairy initiatives.
The DA is carrying out these measures, he said, as it aims “to continue to protect our animal population against major diseases, such as avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease, and boost our competitive advantage in the global arena, particularly in the Halal trade.”
For fishery and aquaculture, Yap said the DA is sustaining efforts to (1) introduce “green technologies” of culturing bangus, tilapia, shrimps, seaweeds and other high-value marine species; (2) build more mariculture parks and fish sanctuaries in strategic areas nationwide, and (3) invest in ports in the country’s Eastern seaboard to encourage Filipino fishers to operate in our generally untapped exclusive economic zone in the Pacific Ocean.
“We also wish to highlight the fact that we are now incorporating climate change adaptations in our production strategies — such as the promotion of submergence or flood-tolerant and drought-resistant crops as well as early-maturing seeds to help farmers cope with the devastating effects of weather extremes,” Yap said.
He said the FIELDS program of President Arroyo, which is her administration’s flagship program to ensure food sufficiency in the medium term, received a 67 percent boost in terms of financial allocation, demonstrating the “government’s strong resolve to reverse 30 years of inadequate public spending on the agri-fishery sector, which is only necessary given that agriculture comprises one-fifth of this nation’s economy.”
FIELDS, which enumerates the six areas where government support are being focused on under the President’s food security and sufficiency agenda, stands for Fertilizers, Irrigation and other rural infrastructure like farm-to-market roads (FMRs), Extension services and education for farmers, Loans, Dryers and other postharvest facilities, and Seeds and other genetic materials.
Yap noted that between 2001 and 2008, Philippine agriculture managed to improve its annual output by an average of 4.1 percent as “government policy began to focus on competitiveness and the systematic integration of the entire production chain.”
Yap said earlier that the DA is streamlining its budget program this year and in 2010 to ensure that a lion’s share of the department’s funds go to funding programs meant for the country to attain food security and sufficiency in the medium term despite the twin challenges of climate change and globalized trade. PNA
