PHILIPPINES: DA to revive rubber industry

After rice and vegetable price issues have been settled, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will be focusing on uplifting the livelihood of thousands of rubber farmers. In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the DA would provide various livelihood and loan programs for Filipino rubber farmers as part of government interventions in the sector that has been hit by very low market prices.

Citing farmers, Piñol said raw rubber prices dropped to only P25 per kilogram from a high of almost P100 per kilogram eight years ago, forcing farmers to abandon their rubber farms and workers to lose jobs. Piñol said the DA’s Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) would be tasked to draft the loan programs for rubber farmers. The Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program, meanwhile, will be tasked with handling the livelihood components, he added.

Rubber farmers, including industry workers like tappers, could avail of the livelihood and loan programs of the DA. “The rubber farmers and workers could be introduced to other farming activities while the DA is working on the establishment of manufacturing facilities, including a factory in Mindanao, to ensure a stable local market for rubber products,” said Piñol.

Source: Daily “The Manila Times”, Manila; 22 Oct 2018
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)