The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA XI) thru the program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has so far distributed to 24,000 beneficiaries of the DA-PCA Cash and Food Subsidy for Marginalized Farmers and Fisherfolks (CFSMFF) in the entire region.
Guesting in the One Davao Virtual Presser, Acting Regional Manager of the PCA XI Juvie Alayon called on other qualified beneficiaries of the said program to claim the cash subsidy worth P3,000 and food subsidy worth P2,000 . The food package is composed of rice, chicken, and eggs.
“ Duna pa kitay ginahulat ug ginapangita nga 8,000 beneficiaries nga qualified mahatagan ani nga programa hangtud katapusan sa Abril. (We are still looking for the 8,000 beneficiaries that are listed and qualified to benefit from the program until the end of April),” Alayon said.
The PCA official stressed that not all coconut farmers may avail of such program. The government has set criteria for those who can claim for their subsidy.
Only coconut farmers who own or till land from half hectare to 2 hectares and those whose annual income are less than P21,000 are qualified in the program.
Alayon encouraged coconut farmers to visit the PCA offices in Davao City, Tagum City catering Davao del Norte and Davao Oro, Digos City catering Davao Occidental and Davao del Sur, and Mati City catering Davao Oriental.
The PCA has also assigned a field officer stationed in every municipality specifically at the Municipal Agriculture Office to accommodate, explain, and facilitate requests of the farmers.
The cash subsidy is given to the farmers through a QR code which they may show and claim the P3,000 from the M.Lhuiller branches.
Meanwhile, the food subsidy is also given to the farmers through a QR code which they may show to the personnel of the DA during scheduled distribution of the food subsidy. (PIA XI/Frances Mae Macapagat)
Pork imports necessary to address
supply shortage, spike in prices: Dar
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar said Executive Order 128 necessary to address the low supply of pork due to African swine fever (ASF) and the spike in its prices.
It will stay in effect until the domestic swine industry fully recovers and attain sufficient local pork production, the DA chief said in his report to President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday.
“Ang inaangkat lang po natin ay ‘yung kakulangan lang natin nitong taon. So iyung mga measures na pinapatupad po natin through your approval ay mapababa natin ‘yung inflation kasi bababa talaga ‘yung presyo sa merkado dito sa mga imported pork (We are only importing what we need, our pork deficit for this year. The measures that we are implementing through your approval will lower the country’s inflation as retail prices of pork in the market will also dial down because of imported pork),” Dar said during the Cabinet meeting.
The DA’s national livestock program directorate projected that the country would have a supply deficit of 388,563 metric tons (MT) of pork, based on a supply estimate of 1,229,702 MT against a total demand of 1,618,355 MT this year.
Executive Order 128, signed by Duterte on April 4, reduces tariff rates on pork imports between 5 percent and 20 percent, from 30 percent to 40 percent.
“The EO 128 was a result of a painstaking process, that’s why ‘yung lowering of tariff (on pork imports and increasing the minimum access volume) will really lower down pork prices in the market,” Dar said, adding that this will not kill the local hog industry.
Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, in the same meeting, reiterated support for lower pork tariffs, emphasizing the need to address the deficiency in supply while bringing down the country’s inflation rate.
“We are in a Covid crisis right now. We can’t afford that people will have an income problem and a price problem,” Chua said.
Chua said in his report the 4.2 percent inflation record this year can go down to 3.8 percent because of the temporary reduction of tariff (on pork import) as allowed under the EO 128.
The President, meanwhile, said he is willing to retract EO 128 as soon as there is an improvement in the country’s domestic supply.
“I can understand from where the senators come from. There is also the domestic supply which they intend to protect and they are vehement about it because I think that they think that they are right,” he said.
The senators earlier appealed to the President to revoke EO 128 which temporarily modifies the rates on import duty on fresh, chilled, or frozen meat of swine.
President Duterte acknowledged that it was natural for senators to protect the local hog industry, but noted the inputs from his economic managers who were in favor of the EO.
In an update on DA’s effort to recover from the ASF outbreak, Dar said in early April, the PHP400 million budget was used to repopulate the hog industry.
Sentinel pigs in areas where there are no reported cases of ASF for at least 90 days were distributed to 8,000 small hog raisers in eight regions, he said.
The DA is in partnership with private firms and local government units for the “Bantay ASF sa Barangay” or BABay ASF program, an awareness drive on biosecurity measures.
Meanwhile, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Tuesday called on lawmakers to support the President’s directive allowing increased pork imports at lower tariff rates.
He said he and the EDC made the recommendations to the President after extensive deliberations and consultations among concerned agencies and the public, with all the trade-offs considered in the cost-benefit analysis done on this major consumer concern. (PNA)
