Due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict and extended neglect in the agriculture sector, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said on Tuesday that there is still a lack of fish, pork, and rice in the local market.
In an interview with Unang Balita, Dar defended the importation of fish against detractors, mainly fishers, who believe that the country’s fish supply is sufficient.
“Yung supply ngayon, overall, sumatotal ay may kakulangan pa tayo sa isda, sa baboy, yung rice ay 92% lang tayo. Yun ang sitwasyon, local food production is not enough,” he said.
(The supply now, overall, in total we still have a shortage of fish, pork, rice is only 92% of us. That is the situation. Local food production is not enough.)
Earlier, Dar predicted a fish supply shortfall of around 90,000 metric tons this year, based on a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources fish supply estimate (BFAR).
“We continue to monitor fish prices which are now slightly increasing, and the decision to extend the CNI (certificate of necessity to import) is part of the price stabilization efforts of the government,” said Dar.
He refers to the import licenses obtained in January by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to import 60,000 metric tons (MT) of small pelagic fish overseas for the first quarter.
Apart from the worldwide impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Dar claims that long-term neglect in the agriculture sector contributed to the local food shortage.
He said the Philippines only allot 1.5% of its budget to the agriculture sector while other countries dedicate 3.5% to 6% of their budget.
Supply of pork, local fish, rice in PH insufficient – DA
The Department of Agriculture has already come up with an action plan to address the impact of the war on the agriculture sector, which President Rodrigo Duterte has approved, Dar said.
He said the agriculture industry in the Philippines has been “underbudgeted, neglected all these 30 years.”
“It’s gasping for breath, and we need sizeable budgetary support to make it possible to really now unlock the potential of the Philippine agriculture,” he told ANC’s Headstart.
“Of course, I would’ve been much happier if agriculture would have been properly budgeted.”
In line with this, the Department is requesting a P24 billion additional budget for this year.
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