MANILA, Philippines - Agriculture Secretary Alcala believes the agriculture sector would be able to meets its growth target of four to five percent for 2012 because of strong rice and corn production and the expected recovery of the fisheries sector.
In an interview at the opening of agricultural trade fair Agrilink 2012 at the World Trade Center yesterday, Alcala said prevailing corn prices remain favorable to farmers.
“Corn prices and supply remain favorable to farmers and when they earn well, they become encouraged to plant more,” he said.
The fisheries sector is also expected to recover.
The fisheries subsector slowed down 3.33 percent in the first six months of the year. Accounting for 18.8 percent of total agricultural output, it grossed P117.4 billion at current prices. Downtrends in production were seen for marine and inland fishes as well as aquaculture.
This was because of the fishing ban imposed in the Zamboanga peninsula during the first two months of the year.
Fish production is expected to grow this semester because of the lifting of the fishing ban in the high seas. The government intends to enhance fishing activities in the previously banned areas Pockets 1 and 2 of the Pacific Ocean.
The crops subsector, which made up 52 percent of the total farm production, grew 1.5 percent, grossing at P392.3 billion. It was propped up by the 4.15 percent rise in palay production and 4.8 percent increase in corn production.
Palay harvest during the first six months of the year reached 7.89 million metric tons (MT), higher than 7.58 MMT in the same period last year.
Third quarter palay output is expected to reach 3.56 million MT, 12 percent higher than last year’s output of 3.17 million MT. Farmers are expected to harvest palay in September.
Palay production is expected to reach 6.36 million MT in the fourth quarter, seven prevent higher than last year’s output of 5.94 million MT.
The DA is still aiming for a palay production level of 18.46 million MT for the whole 2012, but is setting a conservative target of 17.8 million MT which is still 6.7 percent higher than the harvest of 16.68 million MT in the same period last year.
Agriculture assistant secretary and national rice program coordinator Dante De Lima earlier said palay output is expected to be lower than expected in the third quarter because of successive weather disturbances that occurred in July and August, but is expected to recover in the fourth quarter because of the third cropping scheme conducted in September that would enable farmers to harvest in December.
In the first half of the year, corn production reached 3.47 MMT, 4.8 percent higher than the output in the same period last year of 3.31 MMT. Corn production in the second semester is expected to reach 3.99 MMT based on third quarter standing crop and planting intentions of farmers in the fourth quarter.
Corn production for the entire year is expected to reach 7.46 MMT, higher by seven percent than last year’s output of 6.97 MMT.
In a separate interview, Agrilink 2012 main organizer Foundation for Resource Linkage and Development (FRLD) the livestock and aquaculture sectors are becoming a “sunshine industry.”
“We just need to focus on the importance of animal health beyond medication and institute proper fisheries technologies,” said FRLD president Antonio Roces.
The livestock subsector, which contributed 15.2 percent to total agricultural production, grew slightly by 0.5 percent, and grossed P100.3 billion at current prices. The increase in hog production sustained the sector’s positive performance in the first semester of the year.