Courtesy: Department of Agriculture
THE House Quinta Committee led by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda on Tuesday resumed its hearing on the challenges affecting the agricultural sector, with members expressing frustration over the seemingly slow action over the escalating prices of basic goods.
Lawmakers called for swift reforms and enhanced transparency in pricing as they voiced their dissatisfaction over the retention by the Department of Agriculture (DA) of the P58 rice/kilo price cap. They also highlighted the agency’s slow declaration of food security emergency to mitigate the price of rice.
Super committee co-chairperson and Iloilo Rep. Ferjenel Biron also noted the apparent delays of commercially available vaccines following the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in the country which reportedly reduced the country’s hog population from 16 million to just 7 to 8 million by the end of 2024, leading to high prices of pork in the market.
“Malaki po yung problemang hinaharap ng pig industry natin. As we all know, natamaan ng ASF yung hog sector,” Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Executive Vice President Eric Harina said.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary-designate Constante Palabrica reported that the agency has already started rolling out ASF vaccines under monitored release, and attested to the vaccine’s success so far.
“Now we have rolled out a lot of vaccines, and it’s working. Right now we have 500,000 (vaccines procured) and I have visited all the provinces, and I just came from Legazpi. And we’re going to have also a rollout of the vaccine in Legazpi this March,” he said.
Palabrica also noted that they needed to submit a comprehensive data to the Food and Drug Administration as a requirement for them to be granted a regular permit for the ASF vaccine administration.
Biron on the other hand, stated that available clinical data should be enough to support the efficacy of the vaccine.
Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo also suggested that the DA can utilize the Quick Response Fund under the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to expedite vaccine procurement.
“Ano ginagawa ng emergency use authorization? Marami ng tests na very effective, yung bakuna. Hindi sana tayo inabot ng 50% ng nawalang baboy at hindi sana napakamahal ang binibili ng ating mga pamilyang Pilipino,” AGAP Partylist Rep. Nicanor Briones lamented.
The drop in hog population due to ASF has also impacted corn prices. Philippine Maize Federation Inc. (PhilMaize) President Romualdo Elvira Jr. noted that corn price went down to P12 per kilo since July 2024.
To address the issue, Elvira proposed that the National Food Authority purchase corn at ₱17 per kilo for 800,000 metric tons annually to support local farmers.
“If we could build our supply during these lean months, during the recovery period marami tayong stock. And maybe we could staibilize po yung price and supply ng corn. So we need to support ‘yung atin pong mga corn growers ngayon by providing them subsidies sa corn, corn seeds and fertilizer,” Elvira added.
According to newly appointed Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Dr. Elizer Salilig, the fisheries industry also faces a supply gap, with the country importing 500,000 metric tons to cover the shortfall. He said domestic supply is only 2.7 million metric tons while the demand is at 3.2 million metric tons.
Proposed measures to address the insufficiency include boosting aquaculture, strengthening law enforcement, providing livelihood support through increased tilapia fingerling and freshwater fish production, offering technical assistance, and utilizing Fishpond Lease Agreements.
