Acknowledging that the smuggling of vegetables mostly from China has steadily risen, the Department of Agriculture is seeking an intelligence fund for its 2022 budget to fight smuggling, which senators called economic sabotage. Agriculture Secretary William Dar made the pitch at a Senate Finance sub-committee hearing Friday where he was…
Senator Cynthia Villar and Usec Ariel Cayanan of the Department of Agriculture
Healthy soil is the foundation in ensuring food security in our country. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that healthy soils are the basis for healthy food production. A healthy living soil is crucial to fo
The Department of Agriculture (DA) expects the entry of cheaper, imported fish in two weeks as part of the efforts of the government to tame food prices. Agriculture Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan said during a briefing on Monday, Oct. 4 that the issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearanc
Press Release
State of calamity on ASF just waiting for President s approval
OVER a month since the Senate passed resolution urging the declaration of a state of calamity due to the African swine fever (ASF) which is needed to free up funds to address the disease, government officials say that a resolution has already been cleared for approval of the President.
The Senate Committee of the Whole convened for the third time on Tuesday to discuss the ASF outbreak, of which estimates show over P60 billion worth of damages has already been incurred by the local hog industry. Our concern precisely is that the bureaucracy hopefully can act faster because the Senate Committee on Agriculture already endorsed this March 9, and it s already April 17. If it s a state of calamity declaration, one would like to think we should act swiftly, Pangilinan said.
Pangilinan to DA: Declare ASF-caused state of emergency
ON THE motion of Senator Francis Kiko Pangilinan, the Senate agriculture committee on Tuesday urged the agriculture department to have the President declare a national state of emergency due to the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak that has cost about P50 billion in swine industry losses. We move that the Department of Agriculture (DA) recommend to the Office of the President the declaration of a state of emergency in Luzon because of the African swine [fever] so that public funds may be realigned to address the state of emergency, Pangilinan said during the hearing on the rise of food prices.