President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. eyes more industrialized agriculture facilities to ensure poultry supply with the advent of the holiday season.
This developed as the Department of Agriculture (DA) headed by Mr. Marcos and attached agencies are ramping up preparations for the imminent El Niño occurrence in the last quarter of 2023 until first quarter of 2024, despite heavy rains due to a low pressure area (LPA) and potential typhoons
Heading the inauguration of a Magnolia poultry farm in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur, the President said such modernized facilities would stabilize poultry supply in the country.
“Natural, pagka maganda ang supply hindi tataas masyado ang presyo. Siyempre pag Pasko, may increase talaga ng demand dahil maraming party, maraming nagse-celebrate (Naturally, stable supply stave off price increases. Of course, demand peaks during Christmas because of the celebrations),” Mr. Marcos told reporters.
The Chief Executive also said consumers would no longer have to worry about poultry supply and its prices with more industrialized agricultural facilities being set up nationwide.
San Miguel President Ramon Ang joined the President in touring the complex which would include 28 world-class, climate-controlled farmhouses to guarantee the best possible conditions for chicken and eggs production.
At least 80 million chickens were projected to be produced inside the facility to meet the growing demand for chicken products in the Mindanao region.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian said the DA was working closely with the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) to optimize production in irrigated areas, where El Nino is said to bring higher yields because of intense solar radiation, possibly resulting in bumper palay harvest.
He added that even if heavy rains and typhoons are still experienced in many parts of the country today, the DA would want to ensure that the necessary measures are in place once El Niño sets in.
Updates from data base sharing between the DA and the NIA showed that El Niño risk maps have been very helpful in creating a pro-active program to minimize effects on the crops sub-sector especially for rice.
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice0 drafted the El Niño risk map and the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) rainfall forecast will guide farmers on their planting intentions and farm activities.
Sebastian said planting inputs like hybrid seeds, fertilizers, and other interventions would be deployed in areas with sufficient irrigation.
In localities where the predicted rainfall could be below what is required for rice production, the DA works closely with farmer clusters to be ready with supplemental water sources.
Farmers in these areas are also encouraged to plant early so that by January to February, when El Nino’s impact starts to be felt, they are already harvesting their crops.
Sebastian also asked the regional field officials to deploy hybrid and inbred rice seeds, fertilizers, biofertilizers, and other interventions early to the clustered farms for timely planting.
In areas historically hit by severe dryness from previous El Nino episodes, the farmers are encouraged to shift to other crops like vegetables that require less water. PhilRice has identified areas affected by the drought based on previous El Nino episodes in the country.
As of last October 12, the DA has identified 2,565 irrigators associations as target clusters on engagement with 497,123 farmers tilling a total area of 575,137.11 hectares of farm lands. The clusters are located in NIA national systems and communal irrigation systems.
