SUSTAIN AGGIE GROWTH THROUGH
MASSIVE INVESTMENTS, RECTO SAYS

Senator Ralph Recto has urged government to prop up Philippine agriculture by spending more to cultivate high-yielding crops and ensuring a steady supply of livestock and poultry after noting the modest gains during the first quarter.

"The better performance of agriculture sub-sectors needs to be ensured and we cannot do that unless we take bold steps to modernize agriculture, reduce crop losses through post-harvest facilities, and ensure that water flows into rice fields and other farms producing a variety of crops, vegetables and fruits," Recto stressed.

He noted the good performance of the fisheries sub-sector and commended the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for promoting mariculture parks that produce choice fish varieties, protecting the marine environment and implementing laws that ban illegal fishing activities.

"In the past two years, fisheries has contributed nearly a quarter of all agricultural output and this should prompt us to study whether we can now establish a Department of Fisheries, as what stakeholders have been demanding for several years.

Recto said fisheries posted a growth rate of 8.52 percent for the quarter, repeating its good performance of 5.53 percent for the same quarter last year, and this comes at a time when some consumers have been buying imported fish within and without the country's fish ports.

Poultry also made a rebound, gaining 2.32 percent from a negative 3.79 percent for the first quarter last year, Recto said.

"I just hope the industry players would continue to improve so that we can arrest the annual problem of scarcity of chicken and chicken products during the Christmas season," he added.

Recto explained that agricultural planning should also take into consideration the climatic conditions in the different regions, adding that while he advocates massive coconut replanting, some means must be undertaken to ensure that these trees would grow and not be destroyed by strong typhoons.

Coconut production has been reduced for the first quarter even in the face of the large demand for virgin coconut oil and other products derived from coconuts.

"If we can creatively develop a market for these products, then government would help farmers a great deal in diversifying their products and not relying merely on desiccated coconut," he stressed.

Recto said that if it is feasible, our food producers and traders could be given discounts on gas and other expenses to reduce their cost in transporting agricultural commodities from the farms to the markets.

The senator also sought the exemption of food trucks from the truck ban imposed by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).