Angara upbeat on sustained growth in agriculture sector

Agriculture Secretary Edgardo J. Angara expressed confidence yesterday that the agriculture sector would be able to sustain its growth momentum in the next few years and enable the administration to attain its objective of self-sufficiency in food by the time President Estrada’s term is up in 2004.

"If we can only continue our programs for another three or four years, we will be able to see sustainable growth in agriculture in the future," Angara told a group of business journalists during a luncheon-dialogue at the Century Park Hotel in Malate, Manila.

He cited the strides the Department of Agriculture has made in boosting farm production, especially in many areas in Mindanao, by building the necessary infrastructure like farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems and the intensified use of certified seeds for rice and corn production.

The agriculture sector posted an impressive growth of 3.5 percent in the first nine months of this year on the back of record productions in palay and other crops. Agriculture remains the only shining star in the country’s economic firmament and was largely responsible for the 4.2 percent growth posted by the economy in the first nine months of the year.

Angara had earlier said that with only one cropping season left, the agriculture sector is almost certain to surpass this year’s growth target range of 2.7 to 3.4 percent.

According to him, the sector’s 3.5 percent growth is impressive considering that it started from a high base of 6.9 percent in 1999 when the agriculture sector hit record production levels due to favorable weather conditions.

Angara said that were it not for the two devastating typhoons (Reming and Seniang) which set back palay production by about 200,000 metric tons, palay output would have hit over 12 million metric tons. Although the El Niño phenomenon is expected to recur next year, he expects palay production to improve to about 13 million metric tons in 2001 and to move the Philippines closer toward achieving self-sufficiency in rice.

Meanwhile, the DA chief said it is about time that the Philippines started to shift its focus back to agriculture saying that "we should go back to basics." He called attention to the fact that of the 10 member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), only Singapore and the Philippines continue to import food.

"In the case of Singapore, it is understandable as they have no land, but the Philippines has so much land that there is no excuse why we can’t be self-sufficient," Angara lamented, saying that neighboring countries have overtaken the Philippines in food production.