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THE
government is confident its growth forecast for the
agriculture sector will hold despite the drought which
threatens to cut farm growth.
This,
even as authorities conceded that besides scientific
means for inducing rain, like cloud seeding, they also
encourage people to pray and even carry out native
rituals, as all signs point to the dry spell lasting
until the end of September.
Director
Dennis Arroyo of the National Economic and Development
Authority’s (Neda) National Planning and Policy Staff
said, “3.9 percent was the forecast of Neda. This is a
more conservative growth rate for agriculture, and this
will hold despite the dry spell.”
This
projection, Arroyo said, has considered the P3-billion
agriculture spending for irrigation, high-value crops,
postharvest facilities and more facilties for biofuels.
The
Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier projected farm
growth at 4 percent to 5 percent by the end of the year.
However, due to the prolonged dry spell, economists said
the projection may no longer be achievable and reduced
it.
Economists said the drought could cut production of main
crops such as rice, since it is one of the most
water-intensive crops and accounts for as much as 15
percent of total agriculture production.
The DA
said earlier palay production may only grow by 3 percent
to 3.5 percent this year from its earlier target of 5.8
percent because of the impact of the drought on major
rice-producing areas, especially in Luzon.
Among
the major producers of rice in the region are Cagayan
Valley in Isabela and Nueva Ecija in Central Luzon.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said in an earlier
statement the 4-percent to 5-percent full-year
agriculture growth is achievable due to higher public
spending for rural infrastructure such as irrigation and
postharvest facilities designed to buoy productivity and
reverse crop wastages that traditionally undercut farm
output.
Meanwhile, Arroyo said the country’s gross domestic
product for the second quarter and the first half of the
year will remain strong.
He said
the peak of election spending and the stock-market index
both happened in the second quarter. Further, car sales,
as reported by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers
of the Philippines Inc., already exceeded manufacturers’
targets.
Meanwhile, authorities are scraping the bottom of the
barrel in their menu of options. On Wednesday
meteorologists admitted that if all the cloud seedings
won’t help, they’re willing to try prayers and rituals.
In a
weekly forum at Citio Fernandina at Club Filipino,
director Nathaniel Cruz of the Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
urged Filipinos to pray and even encouraged the
“natives” to do the ritual dance to call for rains.
When
asked if he will also ask the natives to do their ritual
for rains and even the out -of -tune Filipinos to sing,
Cruz replied, “all that we believe could bring rains,
then let’s do it as long as it can help us with our
problem now.”
Cruz
said that Visayas and
Mindanao are experiencing huge amounts of rainfall because of “weird weather.”
“It’s
only here in Luzon where we have a dry spell. We’ve been
having a little rain because of cloud seeding,” which
Cruz described as “very expensive.”
If
conditions don’t change this month, Cruz warned of a
possible drought in the next months.
“As of
now we don’t see any typhoon that will possibly hit the
country; there is one but as of the moment, it is moving
toward Japan,” he added.
Meanwhile, he also called on people to save water.
Relatedly, a lawmaker said it’s not just water that
should be used prudently: it’s money as well. Apparently
afraid that the P3.664-billion funds allocated for
drought-mitigating measures might be wasted by hastily
spending them for temporary and superficial solutions, a
congressman called on government agencies on Wednesday
to use the funds wisely and effectively.
Nationalist People’s Coalition Rep. Vincent Garcia of
Davao said in a statement: “They should not hastily
close deals and implement projects without the necessary
impact study. The funds should go to high-impact,
short-term and long-term projects to address the drought
problem. We should avoid Band-Aid or temporary and
superficial solutions,” said Garcia.
Garcia
issued the call after President Arroyo ordered the
release of funds for agriculture in Luzon. Garcia said
government agencies should also pour aid to provinces
that have suffered a heavy toll due to the weird
weather.
After La
Union, the
province of
Isabela
declared a state of calamity when more than 40,000
hectares of corn were damaged because of the heat.
“We
should provide subsidy to farmers’ groups and open
easier access to farmers on loan facilities to help them
sustain their farming activities despite the dry
spell,” Garcia said.
Nongovernment organizations sounded a similar call for
prudent use of drought-mitigation funds. They urged the
oversight committees of the Senate and House of
Representatives to monitor the disbursement of the
initial P644 million released by President Arroyo for
Luzon farmlands affected by the dry spell.
The
Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya)
said the members of the oversight committees are
constitutionally and morally obliged to monitor
disbursement of the fund to avoid a repeat of the
P725-million fertilizer scam in 2004.
Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap underscored
the need for transparency.
Hicap
called for the close monitoring of government funds
after a group of anticorruption watchdog said big- time
graft was on the rise under the Arroyo administration,
referring to a report of Vincent Lazatin, executive
director of the Transparency and Accountability Network.
Pamalakaya said the P644 million released is way below
the needed funds to address the drought and the reported
destruction of crops. In Isabela province alone, the dry
spell wrought P260 million in total damages to crops.
“How
about the affected provinces of
Central Luzon and
Northern Luzon and Ilocos Region? The budget is too small compared
with the needed support funds,” Pamalakaya added. (F.
Marasigan, C. Ordinario, C. Mocon, J. Mayuga) |
