Rice inflation remains ‘sore thumb’ for Marcos admin

Whatever pro-farmer moves had been envisioned in the done General Appropriations Act 2024, particularly the provision of financial assistance in the form of vouchers to give clustered farmers the option to choose seed varieties, inorganic fertilizer, biofertilizers, and other farm inputs had alll been for naught. 

DA reverts to ‘corrupt’ inputs distribution system

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) said it had trained in 2023 over 56,000 rice farmers with the proper skills and education to ensure the sustainability of agriculture and help the country attain its self-sufficiency targets taster.

TESDA trained over 56K rice farmers, dependents in 2023

As this writer have been saying for decades now, the high prices of food, especially in urban centers, are due to the high logistics costs charged by middlemen, including the toll fees and some highway extortions/ unnecessary charges, along the way. 

Middlemen in agri sector are behind high food costs

Kasunod ng pag-anunsyo ng limang taong roadmap ng Department of Agriculture (DA) para palawakin ang produksyon ng tabako sa bansa, nanawagan ang mga magsasaka ng tabako sa mga opisyal na ipagtanggol ang kanilang kabuhayan sa darating na kumperensya ng World Health Organization (WHO) para talakayin ang pandaigdigang kasunduan sa pagkontrol sa tabako.

Mga magsasaka nanawagan sa gobyerno na proteksyunan ang kabuhayan sa WHO tobacco control conference

Director Glenn Estrada of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Digitalization Program for Rice was awarded last February 2  by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) for his capstone project on the benefits of digitalizing the farm sector.

DA Director for Digitalization awarded by DAP

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel’s expertise in fishery (from years of studying from the seas) has trained his eyes on sources of catch to bring down fish prices for Metro Manila consumers.

Reviving Laguna Bay as major fish source for MM

By now, the high temperatures we are experiencing, which would get worse by March and April, spell a drought that would cause water to be released in the atmosphere and hopefully become precipitation or rain that would in turn water our rice fields, vegetable farms and aquaculture resources.

Expect more rice imports with El Niño

A proposal – obviously broached to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. which he readily liked – of converting the cash grants given every two months under the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program) into rice is foolish (at the very least) and myopic.

Converting 4Ps to rice is myopic

With the Department of Agriculture (DA) boasting about having harvested 20.06 million metric tons in 2023, a record in the country’s palay production because of favorable weather in the fourth quarter, the recent signing of the memorandum of understanding between Vietnam and the Philippines for rice imports for the next five years is disturbing.

Disconnect in DA’s rice policy

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