MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday tasked the trade and agriculture departments to closely monitor rice prices and go after hoarders and "price manipulators," Malacañang said on Wednesday.&nbsp;

"Rice supply is sufficient," Marcos said, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office.

"Prices are, however, very variable," he added.&nbsp;

The President said the government is working with the private sector to keep prices stable and continue providing affordable rice in Kadiwa stalls.&nbsp;

"The President will go after hoarders and price manipulators who take advantage of the lean months before harvest season," Press Secretary Cheloy Garafil said.&nbsp;

The Department of Agriculture had said&nbsp;<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/14/23/lawmakers-make-surprise-visit-to-rice-onion-retailers">it would not be easy</a>&nbsp;to ascertain price manipulation now that the NFA has been stripped off its regulatory function.

"Sa ngayon kasi hindi basta-basta pwedeng sabihin na price control, ano basehan natin? We are not in the position of a national emergency para mag price control," DA spokesperson Rex Estoperez had said.

Rice price has been steadily rising in the past few months, further triggered by India's export ban.

Marcos assured the public last week that the country would have enough rice supply until the height of the El Niño phenomenon next year.&nbsp;

<h1>Rice 'sufficient' but DTI, DA to monitor prices: Palace</h1>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday tasked the trade and agriculture departments to closely monitor rice prices and go after hoarders and "price manipulators," Malacañang said on Wednesday.&nbsp;"Rice supply is sufficient," Marcos said, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office."Prices are, however, very variable," he added.&nbsp;The President said the government is working with the private sector to keep prices stable and continue providing affordable rice in Kadiwa stalls.&nbsp;"The President will go after hoarders and price manipulators who take advantage of the lean months before harvest season," Press Secretary Cheloy Garafil said.&nbsp;The Department of Agriculture had said&nbsp;<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/14/23/lawmakers-make-surprise-visit-to-rice-onion-retailers">it would not be easy</a>&nbsp;to ascertain price manipulation now that the NFA has been stripped off its regulatory function."Sa ngayon kasi hindi basta-basta pwedeng sabihin na price control, ano basehan natin? We are not in the position of a national emergency para mag price control," DA spokesperson Rex Estoperez had said.Rice price has been steadily rising in the past few months, further triggered by India's export ban.Marcos assured the public last week that the country would have enough rice supply until the height of the El Niño phenomenon next year.&nbsp;

Agriculture / Forestry / Fisheries

Rice 'sufficient' but DTI, DA to monitor prices: Palace

MANILA&nbsp; -The Philippines’ halal industry is looking to grow its exports by a tenth, with the local sector ramping up production as it move towards greater presence and access to local and foreign markets.

Ammar Yassir Baraguir, program head of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Halal Project Management Office, said they were ramping up production under the government agency’s 10-year halal roadmap of 2017-2027.

“As far as production is concerned, we have established several halal multiplier farms, (involving the) procurement of P5 million worth of animals for distribution in areas covered by the halal multiplier farms (and) technical assistance to private farms who seek to be halal certified,” he said during a webinar organized by the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport).

Under the second phase of the roadmap, which is the halal food production phase, stakeholders are targeting to increase the yield of halal crops, animal and milk, as well as agri-fishery outputs.

The DA official also said that guidelines have already been developed for DA-assisted halal farms.

“These are microfarms, they are not capable of having the financial requirement to be certified as halal. So, what we do is we provide technical assistance and other assistance for them to be recognized as halal even before they are fully certified,” he said.

Further, Baraguir said they are also preparing to draft a catalog of DA-assisted halal products.

“We are aiming to craft future products that are not fully halal certified. But, if based on the assessment of the program, most likely halal-compliant. In such a way that we can give producers market opportunities,” he added

The DA official said that they were also working in coordination with the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BFAR) to create additional national standards for halal products.

To date, according to Baraguir, there are already six Philippine national standards for halal, including those for halal agriculture and fisheries products, halal slaughtering practices for ruminants, halal slaughtering for poultry, halal feeds, code on halal goat production, and production of halal raw milk-code of practice.

Earlier, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority said the global halal industry was valued at $3.2 billion.

However, the Department of Trade and Industry said back in 2018 that the Philippines accounted for about 5 percent of the global halal trade.

<h1>PH halal industry targeting 10% export growth</h1>MANILA&nbsp; -The Philippines’ halal industry is looking to grow its exports by a tenth, with the local sector ramping up production as it move towards greater presence and access to local and foreign markets.Ammar Yassir Baraguir, program head of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Halal Project Management Office, said they were ramping up production under the government agency’s 10-year halal roadmap of 2017-2027.“As far as production is concerned, we have established several halal multiplier farms, (involving the) procurement of P5 million worth of animals for distribution in areas covered by the halal multiplier farms (and) technical assistance to private farms who seek to be halal certified,” he said during a webinar organized by the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport).Under the second phase of the roadmap, which is the halal food production phase, stakeholders are targeting to increase the yield of halal crops, animal and milk, as well as agri-fishery outputs.The DA official also said that guidelines have already been developed for DA-assisted halal farms.“These are microfarms, they are not capable of having the financial requirement to be certified as halal. So, what we do is we provide technical assistance and other assistance for them to be recognized as halal even before they are fully certified,” he said.Further, Baraguir said they are also preparing to draft a catalog of DA-assisted halal products.“We are aiming to craft future products that are not fully halal certified. But, if based on the assessment of the program, most likely halal-compliant. In such a way that we can give producers market opportunities,” he addedThe DA official said that they were also working in coordination with the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BFAR) to create additional national standards for halal products.To date, according to Baraguir, there are already six Philippine national standards for halal, including those for halal agriculture and fisheries products, halal slaughtering practices for ruminants, halal slaughtering for poultry, halal feeds, code on halal goat production, and production of halal raw milk-code of practice.Earlier, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority said the global halal industry was valued at $3.2 billion.However, the Department of Trade and Industry said back in 2018 that the Philippines accounted for about 5 percent of the global halal trade.

Government offices / organizations

PH halal industry targeting 10% export growth

MANILA&nbsp; -The advocacy arm of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) is upbeat about the future of the agriculture sector, drawing optimism from its first quarter performance and the hopes that&nbsp; key policy recommendations for the sector will be implemented under the Marcos administration.

Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion on Tuesday noted that the agriculture sector grew by 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2023, contributing 9.1 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)

“This is good news. And once the recommendations of the private sector are considered, [agriculture] will become an even bigger contributor to the GDP of the country,” he said.

Concepcion, whose group champions local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), said these recommendations were included in the private sector-led initiative Kapatid Angat Lahat sa Agri Program (Kalap).

These recommendations included intensifying farm clustering, restructuring agriculture credit facilities to support inclusive business models, and the promotion of farm management information systems into commodity industries.

The goal of Kalap is to integrate small farmers into the value chain of the large agricultural companies, thereby helping the local sector become more productive, profitable, sustainable and globally competitive. 

Concepcion also backed key appointments in the sector signaling improved confidence in the concerned government agencies, including those of National Irrigation Administration head Eddie Guillen, Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III.

<h1>Go Negosyo sees improved PH agriculture</h1>MANILA&nbsp; -The advocacy arm of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) is upbeat about the future of the agriculture sector, drawing optimism from its first quarter performance and the hopes that&nbsp; key policy recommendations for the sector will be implemented under the Marcos administration.Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion on Tuesday noted that the agriculture sector grew by 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2023, contributing 9.1 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)“This is good news. And once the recommendations of the private sector are considered, [agriculture] will become an even bigger contributor to the GDP of the country,” he said.Concepcion, whose group champions local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), said these recommendations were included in the private sector-led initiative Kapatid Angat Lahat sa Agri Program (Kalap).These recommendations included intensifying farm clustering, restructuring agriculture credit facilities to support inclusive business models, and the promotion of farm management information systems into commodity industries.The goal of Kalap is to integrate small farmers into the value chain of the large agricultural companies, thereby helping the local sector become more productive, profitable, sustainable and globally competitive. Concepcion also backed key appointments in the sector signaling improved confidence in the concerned government agencies, including those of National Irrigation Administration head Eddie Guillen, Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III.

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Go Negosyo sees improved PH agriculture

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