GMA News Online / Economy / Agriculture and Mining

5,000 seaweed farmers eyed for P200-M agri program

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:46:53 +0800

Seaweed farmers—5,000 of them—in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi will be mobilized to reduce the country’s demand for imported seaweed through a P200 million program of the Department of Agriculture.

Export of vegetables, fruits to Singapore starts next week

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:36:17 +0800

Agriculture department officials revealed on Wednesday that the country will export vegetables and other high value crops to Singapore for the very first time.�The first, trial batch of solo papaya, squash, coriander, capsicum, bananas and pineapple will be shipped out next week.

No need to import sugar this year, says regulator

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:51:23 +0800

Despite a lower production estimate for crop year 2011-2012 and La Ni�a threatening to dilute the sweetness of standing sugarcane, the Sugar Regulatory Administration sees no need to import sugar this year.

Abaca 2011 exports pegged at $140-M, spurs 25% production growth

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:16:45 +0800

Abaca exports in 2011 likely hit $140 million last year, according to the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) based on latest available 10-month totals. Demand growth for abaca overseas prompted local farmers to plant more abaca.

Citing higher costs of inputs, local millers up animal feeds’ prices

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:04:02 +0800

The Philippine Association of Feed Millers Inc (PAFMI) said coconut oil, yellow corn and rice bran “are more expensive these days (and) forced most feed millers to increase their prices” by at least P20 pesos for every 50 kilogram bag.

DA allots P280.8 M to help fishermen tend mangroves

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:43:34 +0800

Fisherfolk in 31 coastal mangrove areas nationwide will be mobilized to plant trees. To assist them, 40 state universities and colleges will run training courses on how to plant the trees and raise high value species of fish in community-based aquaculture hatcheries. The funding for all these is P280.8 million this year.

PCA spurs coco production to mass-produce natural sweetener

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:59:30 +0800

The Philippine Coconut Authority has turned to embryo culture to increase and conserve the production of a certain coconut variety to produce xylose, a kind of sugar isolated from wood.

NFA needs new loans for palay-buying program, says agency chief

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:09:47 +0800

The National Food Authority might secure new loans to finance its 2012 palay-buying program, which may involve 1.2 million metric tons of unmilled rice under the Department of Agriculture’s food security road map.

Farm output to grow by 3%-4% if weather cooperates, says think tank

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:54:13 +0800

Farm output may grow by 3 to 4 percent in 2012 if the weather permits it, think tank University of Asia and the Pacific's Center for Food and Agribusiness (CFA) said Tuesday.

New FAO chief says food prices may ease in 2012

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:27:12 +0800

ROME —�Food prices may ease in 2012 due to a slowing global economy, though no drastic drop from high levels is expected, the new director-general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation said on Tuesday.

SRA cuts sugar output forecast to 2.2M MT for CY 2011-2012

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:30:47 +0800

The Sugar Regulatory Administration revised its sugar production forecast to 2.242 million metric tons �from 2.4 million MT for crop-year 2011-2012.

Feed millers, poulty integrators likely to import 25% more corn in Q1 2012

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:26:46 +0800

Feed millers and poultry integrators will have to import at least 25 percent of their needs next year because the duty free importation of up to 100,000 metric tons (MT) of corn they had sought would not come in time had it even gone through the approval process.

Agri scholarship grants get P90.3-M from DBM

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:39:14 +0800

Full scholarship grants await 1,050 Filipino youths who will opt to and qualify for the P90.3 million-peso education component of the Agricultural Competitiveness Fund (ACEF) of the national government.

NFA rushing to finish guidelines on rice importation

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:05:24 +0800

The National Food Authority is now��working double time to finish the final draft of rice imporation guidelines before it receives tenders from importers next month. �

Taiwan culls 1,000 pigs, grapples with worst foot-and-mouth outbreak in 14 years

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:44:57 +0800

TAIPEI�- Taiwanese authorities said Thursday they had slaughtered nearly 1,000 pigs following the island's worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in more than 14 years.