Q2 GDP up, agriculture down

CEBU, Philippines — When we talk about extreme weather and climate events, what always come to mind is its impact on the agriculture sector. So that, in the first quarter of this year, we blamed the long dry spell for the dismal performance of the agriculture sector at a year-on-year growth of just .02%.        As if we aren’t aware that it (drought) will certainly come. Frankly, we are always well informed about calamities way ahead of time. Actually, we can’t blame the government for the lack of it. The problem really is our capabilities of cushioning the impact of these calamities. In typhoons, we can understand. Though foreseen, it is inevitable. In droughts, however, though inevitable, something can be done. Yet, it seems that we are too helpless. More often, we can only hope and pray that droughts will be shorter.

To recall, in May, last year, PAGASA issued an “El Niño alert” saying that “the weather phenomenon might emerge between June and July at 80 percent probability and might persist until the first quarter of 2024.” It seems, however, that the drought last year wasn’t worse as expected and we were able to weather the impact of such phenomenon then. PAGASA, however warned then that the problem was, while the dry spell and drought were forecasted to only persist until the first quarter of this year, they were already expecting then that it will last until the end of the second quarter.

True enough, it did and the consequence was harsh. As we all know now, even if year-on-year the gross domestic product (GDP) went up by 6.3% in the second quarter, the agriculture sector went down by 2.3%. Worse, as heavy rains come and inundate the urban areas, farm lands will never be spared. Therefore, expect that the third quarter won’t be different.

To those in the industry and services sectors, life will go on. To the farmers, however, it is a lot different. It is about their existence. Obviously, as such will be disastrous and render farmers (especially, the small ones and subsistence farmers) penniless. So that, it is disheartening sometimes that there are people who do not see it that way.

For instance, in May, last year, as concerns of El Niño started to build up, NEDA Sec. Balisacan simply told us that “rice production could decrease by double digits.” That “agriculture’s contribution to the country’s economy” as measured by GDP is “roughly 10%,” so that, “contraction in agriculture caused by El Niño may not deeply impact the economy.” Lest we forget, he also expressed earlier “the need for the country to liberalize the agriculture sector to allow the timely importation of crucial farm products whenever necessary.”

Knowing fully well that the agriculture sector is just a single-digit contributor to our economy, we can’t help but agree with Sec. Balisacan that the performance in the agriculture sector will have a minimal impact on the economy. However, apart from just solely relying on imports for our shortages, hopefully, Sec. Balisacan will not just trivialize agriculture’s contribution to GDP but must have the same degree of preference for the improvement of the agriculture sector. Indeed, as trivializing it will have a lasting negative impact to the agriculture sector and food security. Needless to say, the unbearable food costs especially to poor families.

More importantly, let us not blame the long dry spell for our miseries. Desert-filled countries in the middle east have extended dry seasons. Yet, they are living normal lives. For one, as early as in the 1980s, recognizing their insufficient supply of water, Israel embraced a technology that addressed such predicament. The drip system or water diet. Knowing fully well that leaves only need sunlight and roots need water, they simply water the roots in small drips. Thus, a pale of water will have a longer reach.

On the other hand, knowing that plants only need soil to stand on, due to the lack of land for agriculture, Singapore embraces hydroponics. Using some pipes, they made their roof decks their farms. Moreover, other countries, don’t use paddies, they are using lakes and rivers to grow rice in floating rafts.

Indeed, there are a lot of farming technologies that we can embrace. To make these work, the government must also provide low-cost loans and the necessary infrastructure, such as, farm to market roads, irrigation, storage facilities, transport equipment, packing and processing facilities.