www.philstar.com: July 10, 2016

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to participate in the country’s largest and internationally recognized trade exhibition on agriculture, food and aquaculture slated on Oct. 6 to 8, this year.

Agrilink Foodlink and Aqualink 2016 will be held at the World Trade Center.

 The DA will be supported by its allied agencies such as Agribusiness and Marketing Service Assistance (DA-AMAS), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHILMECH), Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BFAPS), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the DA’s Agricultural Training Institute.

According to the DA’s Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division (AFID), P431 billion was allocated for Philippine agriculture from 2011 to 2016, 67 percent of which had been invested in agri-fishery infrastructure including expanded irrigated areas, concrete farm-to-market roads, trading centers, agricultural tramlines and community fish landings.

From 2012 to 2015, palay production exceeded 18 million metric tons, a level that was sustained despite being hit with El Niño last year.

As such, the country is transitioning from being one of the biggest rice importers to one of the world’s fastest growing rice producers, attaining a self-sufficiency level of 97 percent in 2013 from 81 percent in 2010.

In addition, corn production greatly improved from a negative production in 2011, achieving self-sufficiency.

In fisheries, law enforcement and conservation measures were implemented to reverse the declining efficiency and quality of production. As such, a decisive action against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF) was imposed under EO 15 and RA 10654.

A closed-season policy was also imposed, which improved production and ensured the sustainability of stocks.

The same efforts resulted in the lifting of the yellow card ban from the European Union, opening lucrative business opportunities for the Philippine fishing sector.

Mangrove reforestation was also undertaken to conserve fish habitats and provide alternative livelihood to fisherfolk and their families.

In poultry and livestock, the country maintains the favorable status of being the only ASEAN nation that is animal-disease free.

Hence, market opportunities for local meat and its by-products have expanded. The DA’s efforts are in line with the Food Safety Act enacted in 2013 to strengthen the regulatory measures in monitoring all levels of food production, including good agricultural and marketing practices, hazard analyses and critical points in the supply chain.