President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday asked the Department of Agriculture to produce a detailed cropping schedule to ensure that agricultural imports will not harm local production.
The President also said the government is formulating a plan to improve the country’s fishery sector, as he has instructed different agencies to develop the necessary infrastructure and facilities.
Mr. Marcos, also the concurrent Agriculture Secretary, held a briefing with the DA and other concerned agencies to address the crisis in fishery production after tackling the country’s rice and livestock supply.
Meanwhile, Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio has committed to help the House of Representatives in monitoring the entry of agricultural products into the Philippines.
Rubio appeared at the House Committee on Agriculture and Food’s ongoing investigation on the hoarding of the agricultural goods, and the consequent price manipulation that causes hefty price increases on such commodities.
The President asked agriculture officials to go into more detail on the cyclical nature of crops in the Philippines to avoid importing products during the harvest season.
The government, Mr. Marcos said, must consider the sensitivities of local cropping, particularly their cyclical nature when sourcing products abroad.
“We should not import just any product when local production is abundant, so that we can use up all of the produce coming from the Philippines,” the President said in Filipino.
“When we do import, it means we have a shortage, and that’s what I mean about the cyclical nature of crops, that we have to be sensitive to that,” the Chief Executive added.
In response to climate change, Filipino farmers have to change their planting schedule in some areas of the Philippines to take advantage of the moving rainy season, Mr. Marcos said, adding it may bring some benefits since farmers can have three croppings a year.
The cyclical nature of agriculture already exists, the President said, but with the advent of climate change, which complicates things, the sector should adjust accordingly.
Last year, the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (AFF) sector performed modestly at 0.5 percent of gross domestic product.
This growth was attributed to the positive Gross Value Added (GVA) growth of 2.3 percent in livestock and 6.7 percent in poultry, despite the decline in the performance of the crops and fisheries subsectors by -1.1 percent and -3.5 percent, respectively.
Under the Marcos administration’s Philippine Development Plan, the DA is targeting a growth rate of 1.8 percent to 3.3 percent in the agriculture sector from 2023 to 2028.
“So, we have started to formulate a plan to improve the fishing grounds for our aquaculture that is in land, in our rivers, and the freshwater although we have a good supply of tilapia and bangus. Although because we are looking at the galunggong (round scad), but the truth is that we have many other (fish) production,” the President said.
“Now, our production in fisheries is still lacking, so we need to look at what is called mariculture, the fish in the sea. So that is basically what we were discussing and putting together,” he added.
“Also, we were already starting to give the tasking to the different agencies like DTI, like DBP, LandBank, the CDA or the Cooperative Development Authority,” the Chief Executive explained.
The President said he instructed different agencies on the steps in crafting the plan for agriculture, focusing mainly on the fishery sector in a bid to improve fish stock production.
“Now the benefit of that is that fish cycle is fast. But we have to put the infrastructure in place. We have to put the facilities in place. So, that is the first thing we will do to increase our fish production,” the President pointed out.
DA interventions aimed at improving the production of basic agricultural commodities include the rehabilitation and modernization of fish port complexes, as well as the implementation of the agricultural and fishery machinery and equipment service center.
Based on the 2023 Demand and Supply Outlook for Basic Commodities, the country’s 3.55 million metric ton fish demand outpaces supply at 2.97 million metric tons.
It has 2.88 million metric tons projected for local production with imports at 0.04 million metric tons.
In the House, Customs chief Rubio served as a resource person Tuesday during the briefing of the members of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) with the House Committee on Appropriations.
“I would like to thank the Bureau [of Customs] for sending over your personnel yesterday (Monday) who shed light on recent rates on supposed hoarder of illegal onions,” Quezon 2nd district Rep. David Suarez said in a manifestation.
“With respect to this, we ask for the Bureau of Customs to give us a regular update on not only onions but on all agricultural products entering our country. Can we ask this from your agency?” the solon asked.
“Yes sir, yes Mr. Chair,” readily answered Rubio, who was installed as BOC chief around two weeks ago.
The Customs chief assured the House panel that the agency isn’t remiss in its mandate against smuggling, which could be unfortunate effect of hoarding and artificial shortages of basic commodities.
“The Bureau of Customs is relentless in our fight against smuggling, that’s why we have a lot of apprehensions now,” he said.
As it stands, the agency’s revenue target for 2023 is P901.337 billion, Rubio also said.