SEARCA in the News

Following a three percent decline in the first quarter caused by the reduction in the production of livestock and poultry sectors outweighing gains made in crops and fisheries, the Department of Agriculture has lowered its growth projection for the industry to two percent this year from its original target of 2.5 percent. Agriculture Secretary William Dar noted that while the challenges of the still-ongoing pandemic and African swine fever continue to hound the industry, the strong performance of other sectors such as palay or unhusked rice give hope that the adjusted target is achievable. For this year, the DA is… Read more

Agriculture Secretary William Dar has downgraded his year-end growth target for the Philippines’ farm sector, from 2.5 percent to 2 percent, amid the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the continuous spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). “We always would like to be optimistic but our big challenges are still there – the lockdown and ASF,” Dar told reporters, following his State of Philippine Agriculture address on Wednesday. Dar then said that though he doesn’t want to give up on the 2.5-percent growth target that he initially gave, he will be happy to “achieve a comfortable growth in… Read more

“A high probability of maintained positive growth over the rest of the year.” That’s how the Laguna-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) sees the Philippine agriculture sector based on its performance in the first half of 2021. The SEARCA released its outlook as the country has been under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic for two years now. “Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have noted with keen interest how the agriculture sector has managed to achieve a positive growth rate,” says Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA director. “However, the… Read more

Philippine farm production is poised for a turnaround this year, but achieving the 2-percent annual growth will remain “very elusive” due to systemic challenges, according to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). SEARCA said it sees a “high probability of maintaining positive growth over the rest of the year” based on the agriculture sector’s performance in the first half. The country’s farm output in the first quarter declined by 3.3 percent while full year production in 2020 contracted by 1.2 percent due to the lackluster performance of the livestock and poultry subsectors. “Since… Read more

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and existing “systemic challenges” in the sector, the Philippine agriculture is less likely to surpass the production growth level of 2 percent by the end of the year. Glenn B. Gregorio, director of Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), said that the country’s agriculture sector is poised to attain positive growth towards the end of the year, but it will not be as impressive as the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) target.  “By all indications, the performance of the Philippine agriculture sector in the first half of 2021 points to a… Read more

THE Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) has released its June 2021 issue featuring studies on policy and institutional structures and contextualized assessment tools that promote sustainable agriculture and food security. Published by the Los Baños, Laguna-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), AJAD is an international refereed journal listed on nine recognized indices, such as the Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index and EBSCO, a leading provider of research databases, e-journals, magazine subscriptions, e-books and discovery service to libraries of all kinds. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, said AJAD, which provides… Read more

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) has conferred an award on outstanding staff members of the organization's specialist institutions based in its member-countries, and among them are four Filipinos. SEAMEO's 10-member countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. Education Secretary Leonor Briones represents the Philippines in the council The conferral of the 2021 SEAMEO Service Award was in time with the 51st SEAMEO Council Conference held virtually for the first time on July 21. Among the awardees was Gaspar de Chavez of the Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional… Read more

THE GROWTH of the agriculture sector is expected to be flat to lower over the remainder of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s term, according to industry groups and experts. Mr. Duterte will deliver his sixth and final State of the Nation Address on July 26 and is due to end his term in June 2022. Calixto V. Chikiamco, Foundation for Economic Freedom president, estimated that “for 2021, (agriculture output) might be flat or even negative, depending on further disruptions caused by the pandemic lockdowns, control of the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) and adverse weather. In the first quarter, agricultural… Read more

THE Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has expressed support to the call against giving any subsidy to vessels or operators engaged in illegal fishing. SEARCA released this statement on the "revised draft consolidated chair text on World Trade Organization's negotiating group on rules-fisheries subsidies." According to SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio, recognizing the importance of conserving coastal and marine resources as further emphasized in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 14: Life below water), they support the call that "no member shall grant or maintain any subsidy to a vessel or operator… Read more

THE Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR)-funded Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) has produced good results, particularly among stakeholders in Lamut in Ifugao, San Fernando in Camarines Sur and San Luis in Batangas. A recent forum jointly organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the DA-BAR narrated successful and motivating stories that were outcomes of CPAR projects. According to Dr. Rico Ancog, SEARCA program lead for Emerging Innovation for Growth, the project assessed the overall implementation of the CPAR program and captured the insights of the implementers, proponents and the… Read more