Agri Dept Eyes Record Year

“We want the performance of the agriculture sector to grow. That is always the bottom line,” Secretary William Dar said during the closing program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Management Committee (ManCom) Meeting held on November 23-25, 2021.

Photo Insert: Agriculture Secretary William Dar

Secretary Dar gave the marching orders for the OneDA Family to perform even better, sustain the successes in the agriculture and fisheries sector until the next administration, and “leave a lasting gift for the welfare of our farmers and fisherfolk.”

“We came here to really strengthen the house, to really strengthen our plans, programs, and projects, finishing this year 2021 strong and ready again to go for a marathon. Even in a short distance of seven months, let’s do it in a marathon way,” the Agri chief said.

He added that even with the twin pandemics of the COVID-19 and African Swine Fever (ASF), the agriculture sector has really shown its best.

“All things considered, in the crops subsector, to which most of the sectoral gains of the past three quarters have been yoked, performance has been remarkable,” Secretary Dar said noting that the Rice Tariffication Law’s legacy is incontestable in palay production.

For the third quarter of 2021, the DA is looking at another record yield of 3.8 million metric tons (MMT). From January to September 2019, palay production grew 10 percent (%), with both irrigated and rainfed palay increasing 7.38% and 25.59%, respectively.

The Department is also working towards improving the margins of rice farmers, as their incomes reportedly dropped from P 22,242 per hectare in 2019 to P 21,430 per hectare last year.

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