The country’s cassava production in the first half of the year rose by 7 percent to 1.35 million metric tons (MMT) from 1.26 MMT posted in the same period last year, according to latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In the second quarter alone, cassava output reached 811,018 metric tons (MT), or 5.4 percent higher than the 769,137 MT produced in April to June 2014.
The PSA said in its report that increasing demand for feeds encouraged farmers in Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Isabela and Negros Oriental to plant more cassava.
The local feed-milling industry uses cassava to substitute a certain percentage of corn in manufacturing animal feeds.
“Compared with the five-year annual average production record, about 30 percent was harvested in the April-to-June 2015 period,” the report read.
Northern Mindanao produced 333,829 MT of cassava, accounting for 41 percent of national output in the April-to-June period. The volume was 13.6 percent higher than last year’s 293,882 MT.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was the second-biggest cassava producer in the second quarter, contributing 224,307 MT to national output. This, however, is 10 percent lower than the 249,308 MT
produced in 2014.
Earlier, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) warned that the witches’ broom disease could reduce cassava yield, particularly in Mindanao. In June the government banned the movement of infected cassava from Bukidnon.
Witches’ broom disease is caused by a bacteria-like organism called phytoplasma.
According to the BPI, infected plants exhibit short nodes with dense clumping of stunted leaves, resembling a witch’s broom.
The disease reduces cassava root starch content, hence, reducing yield value and farmers’ income.
A BPI scientist explained that when a disease is systemic, it does not only affect a single part or some parts of a plant but the whole plant system.
According to the BPI’s crop-protection division, the symptoms of the witches’ broom disease may not be immediately noticeable as the infection starts in the innermost bark of the plant. It is only when the clumping of leaves, as well as discoloration, are observed can farmers conclude that their plants are infected.
“The danger of this disease’s asymptomatic characteristic is that infected planting materials may be unknowingly sourced from infected plantations and will be transferred to other plantations, spreading the disease to a wider geographic cover,” the BPI said.
The BPI added that even using contaminated farm implements may cause the spread of the disease.
The attached agency of the Department of Agriculture warned cassava farmers that visual observation cannot guarantee the cleanliness of planting materials.
Agriculture Undersecretary Jose C. Reaño earlier said more farmers are shifting to planting cassava due to its potential to increase the income of farmers.
“There are a lot of farmers who are now planting cassava because of a new variety from Thailand, which can yield 60 tons per hectare. They choose to plant cassava because the income is higher and it only takes one year to grow,” Reaño said.