EL NINO DISPATCH
DA cites specific measures to cope with Climate Change, free trade
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is investing in core infrastructure and exploring more markets for the country’s export winners, among other measures, to help Philippine agriculture adapt to the challenges posed by climate change and increasing global free trade.
DA Secretary Bernie Fondevilla said that infrastructure investments in, as well as domestic support services for, the agriculture sector are focused on five concerns.
These are the:
o rehabilitation of irrigation systems and municipal fish ports;
o construction of farm-to-market roads (FMRs);
o teaching and encouraging of sustainable methods of production;
o ensuring of funds for loans to farmers and fisherfolk; and
o increased budget allocations for extension services and research and development.
President Arroyo recently named Fondevilla to succeed Secretary Arthur Yap, who is running unopposed in this year’s elections for a seat in the House of Representatives for the 3rd district of Bohol. Fondevilla used to be DA undersecretary and Yap’s chief of staff,
To take advantage of increasing trade liberalization amid the global economic rebound, Fondevilla said the DA has been:
o actively participating in trade fairs to sell Philippine export winners;
o strengthening its support and regulatory programs to fight smuggling;
o building mariculture parks to boost fish farming and exports;
o developing the country’s natural ingredients industry; and
o extending support for biotechnology programs.
“The Department of Agriculture has put to good use the welcome significant increases in budgetary resources, from P15 billion in 2006 to P48 billion in 2009, to invest in core infrastructure and domestic support services to enable sector adaptation to climate change impacts,” Fondevilla said in a recent business forum.
He said irrigation rehabilitation work has so far accounted for some 300,000 hectares of additional fully irrigated palay fields to further boost cropping intensity and total productivity especially during the dry season.
“To date nearly 5,000 kilometers of FMRs have been completed, generating economy-wide impacts and immediately generating access of producers to domestic markets,” Fondevilla noted.
Municipal fishports are also undergoing rehabilitation, while a total of 25 mariculture parks have so far been established with more in the pipeline, boosting the deliberate shift from fish hunting to fish farming, he said.
To promote more sustainable methods of production, Fondevilla said the DA has been advocating the use of organic fertilizers and methods along with better soil and water management.
The DA’s postharvest program has also been expanded, distributing nearly 2,000 flatbed dryers to create more value for farm produce aside from reducing postproduction losses.
He said the DA has also re-instituted a guarantee fund for loans to small producers and is further expanding the agricultural insurance system coverage in order to improve risk management and the flow of capital and investments to the sector.
The DA’s extension and R&D system has already shifted to developing and promoting technologies that will help Philippine agriculture adapt to climate change, he said.
These include, he said, developing technologies, with the cooperation of global agencies like the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), that will make seeds and other genetic materials resistant to biophysical factors such as droughts and floods.
“Increased resource allocations for agriculture and fisheries R&D sustained over the long run shall be the country’s primary investment in developing the necessary and appropriate climate change adaptation technologies,” Fondevilla said.
Viewing trade liberalization as an opportunity rather than a liability, he said the DA is now marketing its export winners such as fresh tropical fruits and processed foods overseas, which will benefit from lower costs of inputs and raw materials.
“The Philippines will actively participate in trade fairs to highlight its products and services. The government will continue to provide support and regulatory programs, inclusive of intensified anti-smuggling in coordination with the Bureau of Customs,” Fondevilla said.
He likewise noted during the business forum that with the deliberate shift to fish farming through investments in mariculture parks together with incentives for locators, the country is poised to be a substantial exporter of high-value fish species in the region.
Moreover, the emergent natural ingredients industry is also expected to boost its presence in the international markets with increased technological support through the Department’s biotechnology program, which, Fondevilla said, will also improve productivity, value and competitiveness of the corn, coconut and abaca industries. (DA Press Office)
