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El Nio damaged
P4-B crops
Dr. William D. Dar served as one of the panelists, at the Tapatan sa Aristocrat, in
Manila anchored by Melo Acua (left) and Sky Ortigas. He shared that agriculture
is a key sector that can help reduce poverty, hunger and unemployment in the
country, and hence should be properly developed, anchored in an inclusive agriindustrialization strategy.
The ongoing El Nio episode has damaged 304,104 metric tons (MT) of crops,
valued at P4 billion (B), as of February 18,
2016, the Department of Agriculture (DA)
said.
Of the total amount, P3.43B was registered in 2015, while P576.16 million (M)
was recorded from January 1 to February
18, 2016, said DA field operation service
officer-in-charge Christopher Morales.
A total of 101,553 farmers, tilling
194,056 hectares, were affected by the
drought, Morales said. Of the total, 65%
of affected farms or 126,789 hectares
may still recover.
The countrys corn sector took the brunt,
with 195,694 MT of production loss,
amounting to P2.36B. About 133,480 hectares of corn farms were affected by El
Nio, but 64% or 86,000 hectares may
still recover.
The rice sector has posted 94,934 MT of
damaged palay, planted in 59,463 hectares, worth P1.62B. Of the total area
damaged, 68% or 40,221 hectares may
still recover.
Damage to high-value crops, as of February 18, totaled 13,476 MT, valued at
P21.63 million.
InangLupa to consult
agri players on modern
Phl agri framework
The InangLupa Movement will conduct
a consultation-workshop to further enhance its framework on modernizing and
industrializing Philippine agriculture, on
April 7-8, 2016, at the Department of
Agricultures Bureau of Soils and Water
Management (DA-BSWM), Visayas Ave.,
corner Elliptical Road, Quezon City.
Led by its president and founder, former agriculture secretary William D. Dar
said InangLupa has invited Senator Cynthia Villar chair of the Senate committee
on agriculture and food, to keynote the
event. She will be represented by Atty
Rhaegee Tamana, Executive Director at
Villar Foundation. The event is expected
to be attended by about 100 key officials
of the department of agriculture (DA),
state universities and colleges (SUCs),
leaders of farmers and fisherfolk associations, cooperatives, rural banks, and
other agri-fishery industry stakeholders,
and media.
We aim to consult some of the countrys key players on how we can further
enhance our framework on modernizing
(Pls turn to p6)
By Imelda V. Abao
Editorial Advisers Note: The InangLupa Movement agrees with the authors
observations and analysis, which were
published in his regular No Free
Lunch, February 16, 2016, in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He previously
served as Socio-Economic Planning
Secretary and Director-General of the
National Economic Development Board
(NEDA) during the term of former President Fidel V. Ramos.
ment Code of 1991.
DA could have done much more to focus
efforts on capacitating provincial LGUs so
they could help their constituent farmers
effectively, and course resources for services through them more than it did.
Instead, we saw too much of centrally
determined one-size-fits-all solutions,
even as there is a wide variation in crops
and agro-climatic conditions across the
country.
And as indicated above, rampant graft
and corruption, which could very well be a
motivation for this over-centralization, has
deprived farmers of billions of pesos worth
of legitimate assistance.
Two, compared to industry and has been tainted over the years with
services, Philippine agriculture has a succession of massive corruption
yielded the lowest productivity and scandals, including fertilizer scams,
swine dispersal scams, pork barrel
lowest incomes over the years.
Our labor productivity in agriculture diversion scams, farm to pocket
barely improved in the 1990s, growing roads, and so on.
Too much focus, budget on rice
annually at an average rate of only 0.7
It is unconscionable and enraging that
percent, less than half of corresponding
productivity growth in our neighboring
countries.
Total factor productivity, which embodies technology and efficiency, grew annually in the sector by an average of only 0.4
percent since 1980, well behind corresponding growth in most of the region.
(For example, Vietnams grew at 1 percent, Chinas at 3.9 percent.)
Ironically, the Philippines has long been
a knowledge center for the agricultural
sciences, and actually mentored leading
agricultural scientists in the region, especially at the University of the PhilippinesLos Baos College of Agriculture.
Institutional problem
Through the years, my own observations
and analyses tell me that our problem in
agriculture is primarily institutional, and not
so much natural or technological.
Our most critical impediment in the sector
is that governance and the management of
agriculture have been fundamentally flawed
among other things, still too top-down
and over-centralized in planning, budgeting
and program execution, for the Department
of Agricultures own good.
I have time and again argued that DA need
not, and should not, assume an undue burden of the responsibility of operational interventions in the sectorand with it, the
blame for failures therein.
Agriculture services, along with health
services, were supposedly devolved to local
government units (LGUs) 25 years ago,
with the enactment of the Local Govern-
Dr. William Dar recently visited Hyderabad, India, where he attended an international
conference on Emerging trends in synthesis of nano particles in agri biotechnology research
and commercialization. He discussed the importance of rejuvenating farm soils by using
modern technologies available, like 3rd and 4th generation bio-nutritional products, to improve
the organic nutrients of soils, particularly in the Philippines.
The most affected area in the country during the period was Region 2, or Cagayan
Valley, with 89,074 MT, or P1.16 billion
worth of damage. The bulk, or 88,724 MT,
was corn, worth P1.15B.
Cagayan Valley was followed by Region 12
and Region 10 in terms of production loss.
Damage to crops and livestock totaled
P1.09 billion in Region 12 and P762.07 million in Region 10.
Morales said the effects of El Nio to rice
production in the first half of 2016 would be
minimal following the projections from
the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA data showed that the countrys palay
output in the January-to-June period may
decrease by 1.48% to 8.2 million MT, from
8.32 MMT recorded in the same period in
2015.
El Nio was one of the contributing factors
that reduced rice production in 2015, at
only 18.15 MMT, 4.3% lower than in 2014,
at 18.97 MMT. (By Mary Grace Padin,
Business Mirror)
InangLupa Newsletter, March 2016 Issue/3
ing years.
While praising the Philippine leadership in the adoption of the Paris climate
agreement last December, Gore said the
country needs to "translate their commitments into actions and lean towards
clean energy economy."
Gore underscored that with the lack of
climate action, it is the younger generation or the Millennials who will be most
affected.
from the
sun, tidal
ocean power, wind,
geothermal,
biomass, and
hydro resources.
"Easy and
affordable
defy durable
solutions.
But the impact of coalFormer US Vice
fired power
President Al Gore and
plants on
founder of Climate
health, air
Reality Project.
quality, and
climate, and
life are more vital considerations," she
said.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (2nd from left) hands over a mock-up check of P15 million
for the rehabilitation of Pinsal SWIP of the Burayok ti Pinsal Farmers Association in Sta.
Maria, Ilocos Sur, on February 22, 2016. The DA turned over P55-million worth of projects to
the farmers and irrigators associations in Ilocos Sur during his visit.(Photo by Alarico Nuestro/AFID)
Shown above are the particpants and resource persons at the recent at the recent national consultative review and planning workshop for
Sustainable Corn Production in Sloping Areas (SCoPSA), at the DA-BSWM, Quezon City.
InangLupa Newsletter, March 2016 Issue/3
BSWM Director Silvino Tejada (in pink shirt) is shown with Senator Cynthia Villar
(in blue-green cardigan), DA-RFO 3 director Andrew Villacorta (in light blue shirt),
and LGU recipients of the DA-BSWM compost facilities for biodegradable wastes.
InangLupa Newsletter
Editorial Board
William D. Dar
Noel O. Reyes
Adviser
Editor-in-Chief
Editorial Consultants:
Zosimo M. Battad
Cheryl N. Caballero
Francis J. Flores
William C. Medrano
Rosana P. Mula
Santiago R. Obien
Junel B. Soriano
Website: http://inanglupa.weebly.com
E-mail: inanglupa@yahoo.com;
w.dar38@yahoo.com;
inanglupamovement@gmail.com
Facebook: InangLupa Movement, Inc.
Office
InangLupa Movement, Inc. Office
Address: DA-BSWM Building, Diliman,
Quezon City, 1100, Philippines