THE Department of Agriculture (DA), through its high-value crops program, is looking to duplicate the recent success of onion farmers on local garlic, ginger and shallots.
“These spices are very basic to us. Our value proposition is that, for example, a clove of native garlic is equal in potency to that provided by the bigger-sized import,” said DA Undersecretary Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero, in a statement.
Caballero said other countries are now learning to appreciate the potency of Ilocos garlic that efforts by DA are underway to ensure planting materials do not end up overseas.
“The DA is supporting efforts to preserve the garlic heritage through genomics. So, we are looking at a strategic investment in resilient agriculture…to again position our garlic as Ilocos’ white gold in the 1990s,” Caballero said.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the DA said local garlic production account for only 2.6 percent of annual demand of 146,879 metric tons (MT) with Ilocos Norte, Batanes and Nueva Ecija the top three producers of garlic.
Caballero said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in March ordered DA offices in Cagayan Valley to buy as much garlic from Ilocos Norte and Batanes to be redistributed to farmers as planting materials when planting season starts in September.
She said the goal is to increase domestic garlic production and account for at least 20 percent of domestic requirement by next year.
Caballero said the DA is looking closely at consumption and supply sources as well as logistics concerns of ginger and shallots to ensure the country only imports what is needed.
In2023, the country produced 29,153.73 MT of ginger, of which Calabarzon and Mimaropa provided 4,048.3 MT equivalent to 13.9 percent.
