AROUND 82 percent of farmlands in the country have moderate to low fertility which continues to decrease and makes it hard to increase agricultural yield, Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM) chief Karen Bautista said Saturday.
In a media forum organized by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Bautista said a national soil fertility mapping project showed the continued degradation of soil over the years leads to lower nutrients and lower fertility that affects food production.
She said the soil degradation was due to poor farm practices and use of imported synthetic fertilizers like urea that affect nutrients in soil, among others.
She said at present the cost of synthetic fertilizers is between P3,000 to P3,500, up by P1,500 per bag before the coronavirus disease pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
“Our soil has low contents of the major nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that are usually included in those that we apply — we use fertilizers and create fertilization. Many farmers are dependent on inorganic fertilizers or synthetic fertilizers that are imported,” she said.
Bautista said the government has been trying to improve soil fertility by promoting the use of a combination of organic fertilizers and biofertilizers to increase agricultural production.
“The imported synthetic fertilizers contribute to the acidity of the soil and if not properly used — not used at the proper time, nor right amount, not the right rate,” she said.
She said the government currently has a 100-hectare technology demonstration area around the country where a balanced fertilization strategy is implemented which not only addresses the use of expensive synthetic imported fertilizers but also promotes increased local production through the use of alternative farm inputs.
She said this is currently being taught to farmers, emphasizing the importance of proper fertilization management practices of farmers.
Bautista said that with the balanced fertilization strategy and crop diversification, the country’s national yield per hectare of 4.11 metric tons of rice per hectare as of 2022 could be raised to around 7 to 8 metric tons, similar to the yields of Thailand and Vietnam.
President Marcos Jr., in his 242nd episode of BBM Vlog, said agriculture is one of the sectors that is expected to suffer the most due to the El Nino or dry spell that is expected between June to August that may even last until the first quarter 2024.
“Isa pang bagay na tinatamaan nito talaga ay ang agrikultura. Ang matinding tagtuyot at matinding kalaban ng agrikultura. Ang lupang wala moisture at nakaka-apekto sa yield o sa dami ng ani (One more sector heavily affected is agriculture. Drought is the enemy of agriculture. Land without moisture affects the yield or the amount of harvest),” he said.
“Isama na rin natin ang ating mga palaisdaan. Ang pagtaas ng temperatura ng mga tubig dagat o kahit na fresh water pa ay nakakaapekto sa marine life na maaring ikamatay isda o magdadala ng red tide. Kaya naman patuloy ang mga programa ng administrasyon na lalaban sa epekto El Nino (Let’s adds the fish farms. The rise in temperature, be it in the ocean or fresh waters, affects marine life that can lead to the death of fishes or cause red tide. That’s why the government continues its programs to fight El Nino),” he added.
Marcos said the government’s El Nino mitigation program also includes those aimed at improving energy and water supply which are also expected to be affected by the dry spell.
The President in the past week attended the inauguration of the ACEN Corp.’s 160-Megawatt Wind Farm in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and approved the renewal and extension of the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project for another 15 years to sustain the energy supply in the country.
Aside from renewables, the administration is looking at nuclear power to raise the energy mix in the country.
The President emphasized that his administration is working to fix the country’s energy sector from the supply side to distribution to ensure sufficient electricity supply, highlighting their importance to ordinary consumers, businesses and manufacturers.
