From the Newsrooms: January 15 to 20, 2024

DA reveals three-year development plan amid wasteland

MEDIA REPORTED earlier this month the reshuffle in the Department of Agriculture (DA). The retirement of two senior career undersecretaries, Leocadio Sebastian and Domingo Panganiban, caused ranking officials to be shifted around. Reports noted that some of the appointments meant officials holding concurrent positions in the department; and some only as officers-in-charge. It may not be completely done, but the action was reported without question.

The change of officials has yet to show it will help solve the many longstanding problems of the department. News accounts picked up the reported oversupply of highland vegetables from the Cordillera region, particularly cabbage and wombok (Chinese cabbage). A TV5 report on January 15 even showed footage of farmers dumping wilted produce on roadsides, noting how surplus crops brought farmgate prices down to PHP 3 per kilo. 

TV Patrol on January 16 talked to a Benguet farmer who said he and his fellow farmers planted cabbages at the same time last year, saying the high market prices for the crop from July to September encouraged them to plant more. This resulted in overproduction and the flood of vegetables at trading posts.

In separate news briefings, Arnel de Mesa, DA spokesperson, and Aida Pagtan, information officer of DA-Cordillera, both denied there was an oversupply of the crop. The officials both pointed to “abnormal” trading activities, explaining that there was a lack of buyers from the last days of 2023 to the first three days of 2024. Pagtan said the crops deteriorated in quality, and had to be sold at lower prices or given away for free. 

De Mesa said overall production actually declined slightly in 2023 as compared to the previous year. It was only in the last quarter that there was a notable increase given relatively good weather, meaning there were no typhoons.

Meanwhile, Frontline Pilipinas, TV Patrol and 24 Oras all reported that armyworms infested 100 hectares of onion farms in Nueva Ecija. The DA said this has minimal impact on the overall supply of onion, ordering the suspension of onion importation. 

Tiu Laurel’s agri plan 

Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., DA Secretary, had admitted in a press briefing on January 16 that there was no fund set aside to help farmers dealing with oversupply or pest infestation. He was considering providing supplies rather than financial assistance.  

In the same briefing, Laurel announced a three-year agricultural development plan already presented to President Marcos, to boost food production and lower food costs. Indeed, the new agriculture chief seems to realize that he is confronted by decades of neglect and media faithfully listed his litany of needs. 

Media cited Laurel’s emphasis on the lack of postharvest facilities, saying that no major facility had been funded in the last 40 years. The total costs for this project would now amount to PHP 93 billion for the next three years

Frontline Pilipinas and The Manila Times both reported Laurel’s estimate that current DA funding for cold storage is only PHP 1 billion, which can’t even cover the entire Luzon. Both reports added Laurel’s calculation of PHP5 billion for refrigeration needs for the entire country by 2025. The reports quoted his admission: “How to get the money… I’m still new at the government, so I’m still trying to figure that out also.”

Reports online and in print also cited Laurel’s statement that 30 percent of agricultural produce is wasted due to poor logistics, based only on his own estimate when he was still in the business sector. Laurel pointed out that the country has no accurate data quantifying agricultural losses. Manila Bulletin recalled that when he was appointed last year, Tiu Laurel was planning to revive the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) to establish data and information critical to the sector. Reporters did not follow up to ask whether these were all included in the three-year plan.

Tiu’s three-year plan will provide enough grist for the news mill for some time. But media should do their own research so they can evaluate the insights shared by the new DA chief as he moves forward on the job. Too bad it took so long for Marcos to appoint a full-time secretary who can give his undivided attention to the search for solutions. 

Media should be drawn out of its lull and meet the secretary at this level of engagement, not simply reporting on his statements but to know enough about the poverty of agriculture in this country and help the public understand what needs to be done about it. 

News coverage should continue to focus on farmers, their need for technical guidance, marketing and distribution so the DA can help them become more productive. With a proactive chief at the helm, journalists should be alert to mis-steps and check out the chain of implementation throughout the bureaucracy.