MORE READERS' VIEWS ON AGRICULTURE NEGLECT

The Philippine Star
02/08/10

Continuing from this column’s practice to give way to readers who send in comments, we are featuring more views on our previous article published February 1 entitled “Continuing Neglect of Agriculture.”

Jerry Quibilan, one of our readers who regularly sends comments, solicited his colleagues’ and friends’ reactions. He shares one from Gus Molina of Biodiversity Philippines.

“Maybe this comment is too late for your purpose. But the following is my one-centavo thought. Our leaders' food security policy/concept of bringing affordable foods (much of it is imported) for our people is not sustainable.

“A country may have enough money (if we have enough?) to buy/import food (I emphasize rice because this is one commodity that we cannot do without), but there may not be enough supply of rice in the global market.

“The present assumption is that there will always be countries like Burma, India, Thailand, and Vietnam that have extra rice to sell in the global market. What if these countries will not have enough or extra rice for whatever reason (i.e., bad climate/weather, industrialization, increased internal demand, etc)?

“It will be extremely difficult to source the volume to feed an increasing [number of] Filipinos who eat rice three times a day. ([The Philippine population figure] will soon be 100 million mouths. Countries like Singapore, Hongkong may not have a problem because their demand is low).

“Science and technology to produce more rice is not the major problem as we already have in our arsenal sufficient technologies to produce more rice (although research is still much needed to further improve our capabilities to enhance, sustain and cope especially in response to many biotic and abiotic stresses such as the impending effects of climate change).

Need for policies

“We need policies and support to our millions of farmers who grow food crops (rice) for their own food and [as a source of] income. For example, to have good harvest, a farmer must have three basic things: good seeds, water, and some essential production inputs.

“Water? If we have appropriate irrigation system, we can grow three crops a year – including during the dry season when there is no typhoon, less pests and diseases thus less use of pesticides, heavier grains because there is more sunlight.

“Where are our allocations for irrigation? I understand some politicians even spent a lot of money for irrigation and seed programs in Metro Manila.

“Seeds? Do we have affordable and efficient seed systems for our farmers? Sustainable and farmer-friendly credit for inputs? And equally important, if not most important – market and price protection for our farmers?

“The problem is: it is ‘more profitable’ (good business) to import than to produce. Our rice farmers are always short-changed in terms of price as there is not enough protection for them. The political will to attain food sufficiency vis-à-vis internal production is not there because of the ‘luxury’ of imports.

“Climate change is real, and it will affect our (as well as other countries’) capability to produce food (rice). When the time comes that we cannot provide rice for the plates of many poor people, the worst may come, perhaps chaos. The danger of a revolution is real when you have many people with revolting stomachs!

“I hope this time will never come. Our leaders must address agriculture seriously. They have been saying they are. Do they have the political will?”

Neglect of fisheries sector

We received another email from Vicente Emmanuel Paterno of Hayuma Foundation who chooses to call our attention on the plight of our fisheries sector. He writes:

“While it is plain to see the obvious neglect of Philippine agriculture as this is very visible, one would very likely be shocked at the state of Philippine Fisheries and our marine resources.

“Traditionally, all of us have been made to believe that with the huge maritime territory and long coastline of the Philippines, we are rich in marine resources. In volume of seawater, yes; in fisheries and marine life, a blatant lie.

“The productive area of the Philippine seas is less than 15 percent of our territorial seas as defined by the Treaty of Paris. Possibly less than 5 percent, if the EEZ [exclusive economic zones] were included.

Above sustainable limits

“The National Stock Assessment Program of the Fisheries Research and Development Institute of DA BFAR has concluded studies in 12 bays of the Philippines and has noted that fisheries in ten of the twelve bays are being fished over and above sustainable limits. Scientists have been telling us of overfishing for almost four decades now, and we have not listened.

“The fisheries of Northern Palawan which have traditionally supplied the Manila markets of galungong have totally collapsed. Where two decades ago, there would be hundreds of fishing vessels in Northern Palawan currently there are hardly any. They now chase the tamban (sardines) in the waters of the Jolo insular shelf. The sardines are not becoming any more abundant but getting smaller and scarcer every passing year.

“The tuna fisheries of General Santos are in doldrums as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission has imposed a two-month moratorium on the use of FADs, as scientific investigations have shown that the catches on FADs or payaws which the tuna fisheries of General Santos are using are mostly immature fish and have reduced yellowfin and big eye tuna populations in the Pacific Ocean to critical levels thereby necessitating quotas for fishing vessels. Every year the moratorium is bound to get longer.

“The volume of imported frozen fish in Metro Manila markets continue to balloon. Meanwhile majority of the marine-caught fishes running to 80 percent of the volume sold in wet markets are sexually immature fish.

“To prove this, secure a "panukat isda" from BFAR, which is a ruler that measures common Philippine fishes and their sexual maturity and an aid to make Philippine fisheries sustainable. Try your luck. Friends who have tried were fuming mad as they ended up not being able to buy any fish at all.

“In the meantime, BFAR has not lifted a finger to implement the Fisheries Code under RA 8550 which stipulates that the sustainability of the resources as a major fisheries policy.

“To top it all, BFAR has found it difficult to accept the reality that the Philippines is fishing itself out of business. Neglect ? We'd love to show you more.”

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, SalcedoVillage, 1227 MakatiCity. Or e-mail me at reydgamboa@yahoo.com. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net