balita-dot-ph,June 30, 2010 1:42 am

MANILA, June 29 — The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the incoming administration of President-elect Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III of stable supply and prices of basic commodities despite the damage wrought by the El Niño on farm crops.

"As of now, supply and price situations are very stable, practically for all commodities," said Director Romeo Recide of the DA’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) in a recent briefing in Malacanang when asked on whether the incoming Aquino administration would have to deal with high food prices.

He noted that the timely intervention measures put in place to mitigate the impact of the recent El Nino attack and prepare for an impending La Nina this year’s second half have kept the supply of food adequate and prices within the reach of low-income consumers.

La Nina refers to the abnormal cooling of sea surface temperatures, which triggers heavy rainfall.
Its opposite, the El Nino, which causes dry spells due to the abnormal warming of sea surface temperatures, has just ended in the country.

Recide said the DA is already preparing for the possible heavy rains that could be ushered in by La Nina, which, in turn, could disrupt supply and affect production in the second semester of the year.

DA Secretary Bernie Fondevilla had said earlier that preparations for La Nina include the repair and rehabilitation of irrigation systems and farm-to-market roads, and the early prepositioning of seeds for farmers this wet or main crop.

Fondevilla said the DA’s Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program proposed about P12.3 billion to implement its program including the La Nina mitigation measures.

The amount is on top of what would be spent in the event that calamities strike the farm sector in the remaining months of the year, he said.

Fondevilla also pointed out that higher farm spending on the Arroyo watch has improved crop yields, increased farmers’ incomes, created new jobs in the countryside and ensured that basic goods remained affordable for low-income families.

In a report presented recently to outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Malacanang, Fondevilla said that the DA was able to overshoot its targets of creating one million jobs from 2001 to 2004 and another two million from 2005 to 2010 in the farm and fisheries sector.

Fondevilla said the DA was able to facilitate the development of some 1,799,361 hectares of land from 2005 to 2009, on top of creating a combined total of 4.4 million jobs.

He pointed out that the DA was also able to establish alternative market outlets like 543 Barangay Bagsakans (BB) and 82 Bagsakan or drop-off Centers to reduce the cost of consumer goods and provide better income to farmers.

It has also set up 14,581 Tindahan Natin Outlets that sell basic food items like rice and noodles at prices lower than those in regular retail outlets.

Moreover, Fondevilla said the average nominal rice prices over the 2001-2009 period were 14 percent lower than those in the 1992-1998 span. [(PNA)vcs/LGI/mec]

Source:DA assures incoming Aquino administration of stable supply, prices of prime goods