Agri chief hopeful on 2.5-3% growth for 2019

Despite natural and man-made calamities that hit the agriculture sector this year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it remained positive that it was able to reverse the losses and increase the sector’s growth rate for this year.

In a press statement, the agency said it has set its annual growth target between 2.5 and 3 percent this year from last year’s annual growth of 1.8 percent. The goal was set even when the livestock sector was hit by a number of outbreak cases of African swine fever (ASF) and palay prices hit its lowest in eight years due to the liberalization of rice trade, which allowed the unimpeded importation of more affordable rice.

“We are hopeful that favorable conditions were sustained in the fourth quarter, allowing us to attain a full-year growth target of at least 2 percent,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.

For the first quarter of this year, the sector grew by a modest 0.64 percent and contracted by -1.23 percent during the second quarter due to the adverse effects of the El Niño phenomenon.

The sector, however, was able to recover in the third quarter of the year, posting a 2.87-percent growth.

“Our prompt implementation of decisive measures to arrest falling prices of palay as well as the imposition of strict biosecurity and quarantine measures to manage, control and contain ASF were the key factors in upturning the crops and hog subsectors, respectively,” Dar said.

He added that the agency was also able to save P12 billion worth of crops from being destroyed by typhoons through early warning announcements since it prompted farmers to harvest their crops early or delay planting.

Moving into 2020, the DA proposed a P71.8-billion budget, 12-percent higher than the P64-billion appropriation given in 2019.

Dar said this would be used to encourage small business initiatives, facilitate credit and stimulate economic progress through competition.

“The story of Philippine agriculture in 2019 is that of hope and a growing sense of optimism on the future of the sector that has been—for the longest time—the biggest drag on our economy,” said Dar.

He added that the agency would craft roadmaps to develop various sectors, including the consolidation of small-scale farmers to accelerate growth. –Karl R. Ocampo