The growth of Philippine agriculture over the years has been stunted by cartels who controlled the importation of basic commodities like rice, garlic, onion, meat and dairy products and corruption in government.
This much I learned after one year as Secretary of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Consider these:
– The local dairy production could only fill up 1% of the total national requirements;
– Local garlic production supplies only 8% of the Philippine market needs;
– Onion production only fills up 60% of the national consumption but the market is manipulated by a cartel which has controlled the importation of both garlic and onion;
– The Philippine cattle population remains at only 2.5-million heads for a country of 105 million people while Argentina has 53-million cattle with a population of only 42 million;
– Rice trading and importation have been controlled by big businessmen who set the buying price of paddy rice and dictate the selling price of rice in the market.
All of these were perpetrated with the connivance of people in government who undeniably collaborated with the businessmen who made billions from the importation of the basic commodities.
Meat, garlic, onion and even rice importation has been controlled by a few business groups who had connections with government.
The corruption in the procurement of these commodities has stunted the growth of the sectors.
It is simply inexplicable that for a country so rich with forage and feed materials, the country’s cattle population has remained at a shameful 2.5-million level and the meat requirements have largely been supplied through importation.
I received the information which I will have investigated that the importation of meat, just like onion and garlic, was controlled by businessmen who offered a P2 per kilo incentive to people in my Department who issued the import allocation.
While we have started correcting this problem with the review of the issuance process of the Sanitary and Pytho-Sanitary clearances late last year, there are still persistent reports of corruption in the system.
Fighting the cartels will not be an easy task but we will have to do it now, especially since the DAF leadership is backed by President Rody Duterte who has vowed to address corruption in government.
Alongside the campaign agains the cartels, the DAF will now focus on these neglected sectors whose growth were stunted through the years.
For meat and dairy, the DAF has laid down a 10-year Development Road Map which intends to increase the cattle population to at least 5-million by 2027 and increase look dairy and milk production to be able to supply 40% of the national requirements.
Garlic and onion production will now be intensified by the Department in non-traditional production areas so be able to fill up at least 80% of the national requirements.
With the improving rice production and the empowerment of rice farmers’ groups and cooperatives, the rice cartel is expected to lose its grip on the industry in the years to come.
This will not be easy but it must be done.
| via DA Sec. Manny Piñol
