A ROADMAP to modernize the country’s livestock, poultry and dairy industries is crucial to boosting agricultural production and ensuring food security, a Philippine senator said on Monday.
In a statement, Senator Cynthia A. Villar cited Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) figures showing that agricultural output expanded by only 0.4%, well below the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) 2.3%–2.5% growth target.
She had filed Senate Bill No. 2558 in a bid to create a Livestock, Poultry and Dairy Competitiveness Enhancement Fund from tariffs collected on imported products from these industries worth P7.8 billion yearly for the next 10 years.
The measure would also establish the Office of the Undersecretary of the National Livestock, Poultry, Dairy, and other Animals Program to craft policies for developing production in these sectors.
“For the longest time, the Livestock, Poultry and Dairy sector has been left to be run by the private sector, now with this Act, the government will actively support and participate in the development of the sector,” said Ms. Villar.
She said these industries accounted for more than a quarter of agricultural output, based on the PSA report, and that while crop, livestock, and poultry production increased, the figures were tempered by a decline in fisheries.
In the first quarter of this year, farm output was flat expanding by 0.05% amid a prolonged dry spell induced by the El Niño weather event.
Pushing for SB 2558’s approval, Ms. Villar said: “Our native animals, such as hogs, chicken, horses, carabaos, among others, will not only be preserved but promoted and their population multiplied.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez
