AGRIBUSINESS
About 12 million Filipinos work in the agricultural sector. If the country can significantly increase its exports and imports of agricultural goods, agricultural provinces would generate much greater revenue, provide more employment opportunities, and lessen poverty in rural areas. This is especially important for Mindanao, the country's breadbasket that has great underdeveloped potential for agricultural exports.
Background
The Philippine agricultural sector comprised 19% of GDP in 2009 and employed 34% of the labor force. Yet agricultural products made up only 8.3% of total Philippine commodity exports and Philippine agricultural exports were the smallest of the ASEAN-5. [ Read This Chapter ]Recommendations
Philippine agriculture needs to explore fully the immense new market opportunities that AFTA and other new FTAs present for both traditional and new agricultural exports. The farming sector should be made more aware of these enhanced export opportunities.... [ Read This Chapter ]
News Updates
Trade facilitation pact seen to benefit agri...
19 January, 2016 at 08:30
The Philippine agriculture sector stands to significantly benefit from the country’s ratification of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which is expected to substantially reduce the cost of trading globally.
SC suspends GMO use pending new DA...
11 December, 2015 at 12:27
THE SUPREME COURT (SC) has “temporarily” halted the use and importation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), pending the Agriculture department’s issuance of new rules that better comply with the law and safety standards.
Protests hit proposal to hike beverage taxes
2 December, 2015 at 12:00
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—The sugar industry and several congressmen are opposing a House bill that seeks to impose taxes of P10 per liter on beverages with sugar and other sweeteners and which would increase these taxes by 4 percent each year starting on Jan. 1, 2017.
PCCI asks govt to cut tariff on...
20 November, 2015 at 14:08
THE government should reduce the tariff on rice imports to 5 percent to make the food staple cheaper and to discourage smuggling, an official of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said on Wednesday.
House body rushes mining, soda tax bills
21 October, 2015 at 15:00
WITH LESS than four months of congressional session left before the May 2016 national elections — and legislative leaders already straining to muster the quorum needed for final approval of bills…
Fruits of peace: Struggling with violence and...
19 October, 2015 at 10:30
IF YOU want a reason to be optimistic about the future of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, a region long racked by poverty and insurgency, look at Sasa port in the city of Davao.
5 arrows for inclusive growth
12 October, 2015 at 14:15
LET me not belabor the obvious. Despite the 6.5-percent average annual growth rate for the past five years being trumpeted by the Aquino administration, I don’t know if there’s no more corruption, but I’m sure as hell there are still lots of poor people.
Neglect
11 September, 2015 at 13:42
Fine. The owner and the captain of M/B Kim Nirvana have been taken into custody and charged with murder. Global media dutifully reported the action of Philippine authorities.
RP exports continue to fall in June...
3 September, 2015 at 11:07
Philippine exports fell for the third consecutive month despite the recovery of the electronics sector in June 2015, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).
True food security for all
21 July, 2015 at 16:11
By: Cielito F. Habito @inquirerdotnet Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:41 AM July 7th, 2015 I’M CONVINCED that a crucial reason we
Can we expect action?
2 July, 2015 at 14:10
Can we expect action? By: Peter Wallace Philippine Daily Inquirer June 25th, 2015 and July 2nd, 2015 Peter Perfecto of Makati Business
A foreign-designed economic development plan
18 May, 2015 at 10:28
AT GROUND LEVEL By Satur C. Ocampo (The Philippine Star) | Updated May 16, 2015 – 12:00am Under no other administration than
Agriculture investments seen key to poverty reduction
6 May, 2015 at 10:18
Ben O. de Vera Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:53 AM | Monday, April 27th, 2015 INCREASED government investments in agricultural and
FEF Letter to PDI Editor regarding CARP
17 April, 2015 at 16:58
THE EDITOR The Philippine Daily Inquirer Dear Editor, In his article in your Talk of the Town , Billy de la Rosa states that “CARP: Key
CARP should remain a fish
27 March, 2015 at 09:47
Peter Wallace Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:06 AM | Thursday, March 19th, 2015 One of the weaknesses of a democratic system (which,
