The State of Agriculture: Rebooting Economies

By Cleo Quiblat

Last March 3, 2022, I attended the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines’ webinar entitled “The State of Agriculture: Rebooting Economies”. One of the speakers was Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar, Ph.D. He was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte on August 5, 2019, and held the same position under President Joseph Estrada from 1998 to 1999.

According to Sec. Dar, the Philippines’ GDP growth rate of 5.6% in 2021 was a result of the following performances — Manufacturing Industry, 8.2%; Services, 5.3%; and Agriculture, -0.3%. The negative performance of the agriculture sector was due to African swine fever, typhoons, among others.

The table below shows the reasons for investing in Philippine agriculture:

He likewise mentioned the OneDA Reform Agenda, a Department of Agriculture initiative, jointly with local government units, to transform Philippine agriculture.

According to Sec. Dar, the measures to keep businesses going in the face of global economic challenges include:

• Boost local food productivity by implementing Plant, Plant, Plant Program Part 2
• Increase social protection by funding aid for impoverished farmers in times of crisis, i.e., Rice Farmer Financial Assistance (RFFA), which was launched in October 2012
• Landmark laws permitting agricultural modernization (Rice Tariffication, Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act)
• Nurture trade relationships with significant partners and trade blocs, i.e., Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
• Widen market access through negotiations with non-traditional trading partners, e.g., Middle Eastern countries, etc.
• Release emergency funds for guaranteeing the supply of production inputs
• Improve digital agriculture and other public infrastructure

Areas for investment include abaca, coconut, pineapple, mango, seaweed, shrimp, cacao, and coffee, as well as the following:

Another speaker was Morgan Haas, Agricultural Counselor of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Here are the highlights of his presentation:

• Food manufacturing recovered, while beverage manufacturing lagged
• Expenditures on food and non-alcoholic beverages dominate household budgets
• Expenditures on food in the Philippines are too high when compared to other Asian countries; food expenditure is correlated with the malnutrition rate
• Staples depend on integrated markets
• The Philippines is improving but still lags behind its neighbors in doing business
• Private-public partnerships must be strengthened to boost the agricultural sector in the Philippines to provide food security and support exports and agri-manufacturing to fuel the economy

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About the author:

Cleo Quiblat is a Recruitment Consultant from Professional Staffers, a Division of John Clements Consultants, Inc. She enjoys cooking and gardening.