BAGUIO CITY — Amidst climate disruptions, pest outbreaks, and aging farmer population, the Department of Agriculture–Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) remains firm in its commitment to achieving food security and empowering farmers and fisherfolk across the region.
Despite various challenges, the agriculture and fishery sectors saw a fair production growth of 1.1% in 2024.
“We hope that for 2025 and beyond, we shall see continuous improvements in the contribution of the agriculture and fishery sectors towards economic and social development in the region,” said Susan D. Balanza, Chief of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PMED) at DA-CAR.
She highlighted the department’s progress, plans, and solutions to challenges during a press conference on April 22.
“Despite these factors, we are glad to see growth in 2024 as this validates that the interventions we have been putting out have resulted favorably to desired outputs,” Balanza said.
Looking ahead, DA-CAR has a budget of Php 2.5 billion for 2025 to fund programs, projects, and activities aimed to “further boost the agriculture sector.”
These initiatives are designed to increase productivity, particularly in low-yielding and poverty-stricken areas, reduce post-harvest losses, manage pests and diseases, and combat malnutrition.
They will also be providing production inputs and assistance to rice and corn farmers in order to promote the region’s rice sufficiency. It can be noted that CAR has struggled to maintain rice self-sufficiency after 2019.
DA-CAR aims to raise palay yields from 3.20 metric tons per hectare in 2024 to 3.41 in 2025, and corn from 3.27 to 3.69 metric tons per hectare.
Additional support will come in the form of irrigation and post-harvest infrastructure.
Interventions will also cover both highland and lowland vegetables, as well as coffee. While not a top producer, DA-CAR envisions transforming the Cordillera region into an agribusiness hub for Arabica coffee, capitalizing on its favorable highland climate.
Efforts in the livestock sector will continue to prioritize the control of major diseases such as African Swine Fever, while maintaining the region’s status as free from Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Avian Influenza. Increasing the livestock population and production remains a parallel goal.
The department is also pushing for farm clustering and development planning to enhance diversification and climate resilience. Value chain analysis for priority commodities will be utilized to inform more targeted programs and policies.
A significant thrust will be towards mechanizing and modernizing agro-fishery systems, improving post-harvest processes, strengthening supply chains, and expanding local and international market access.
They also emphasized the balance between developmental initiatives and regulatory oversight.
Balanza also stressed the importance of science and information-driven decision making as she underscored the department’s shift towards digitalization, stronger partnerships with stakeholders, increased access to finance, and continuous research and extension work. By Blessah Joy Manuel
