MALAMANG na bumaba ang produksiyon ng cassava sa 5.01 porsiyento hanggang sa 2.652 million metriko tonelada (MMT) mula 2.792 MMT ng 2017 dahil sa mababang presyo at pabago-bagong panahon, ayon sa Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
“In the Philippines, based on the pace of the harvest for the first six months of the year, cassava output is expected to reach 2.7 million tonnes in 2018, some 5 percent down from the level of 2017, due to unattractive root prices and disruptive weather,” pahayag FAO sa isang report.
Nakita sa FAO report na ang cassava ay “more important for food security than industry” na gamit sa Indonesia at sa Filipinas. Ayon sa FAO, ang cassava ay itinataguyod sa dalawang bansa bilang pang-alternatibo sa bigas para makakuha ng food security at mabawasan ang pagdepende sa pag-aangkat.
“Dietary diversification programmes in the two countries have targeted cassava as a substitute for rice, which both countries import heavily,” dagdag pa rito.
Bumaba ang produksiyon ng cassava mula Enero hanggang Setyembre ng halos 3.6 porsiyento hanggang 1.954 MMT mula 2.027 MMT recorded volume sa parehong panahon noong isang taon, ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Iniuugnay ng PSA ang pagbaba at buying price para sa cassava sa problema ng kondisyon ng lupa.
“In Cagayan Valley, there were decreases in area planted due to shifting from cassava for industrial use to yellow corn production because of the strict implementation of buying quality chips by feed manufacturers. Also, other areas were left in fallow to regain soil fertility,” sabi ng PSA.
“In addition, lesser and smaller tubers were harvested in the region due to insufficient soil moisture during tuber formation. Reduction in area planted in Northern Mindanao as a result of reduced demand from feed manufacturers and lower buying price in Central Visayas were also cited,” dagdag ng PSA.
Sinabi ng FAO report na ang Asian cassava output ay babagsak ng halos 2.88 porsiyento dahil sa mababang presyo sa gitna ng inaasahang pagtaas sa global output ng halamang ugat.
Ang produksiyon ng cassava ngayong taon sa Asia ay maaring umabot ng 85.511 MMT kumpara sa estimated volume na 88.051 MMT in 2017.
“However, in 2017 cassava production fell throughout the continent, and is forecast to contract further in 2018 by a similar margin of around 3 percent,” sabi ng FAO.
“Much of the contraction is due to a reduction in plantings of 10 percent from the previous year in Thailand, Asia’s largest producer, following very low root prices at the beginning of the season and a lack of foreseen demand in China.”
Sa kabilang banda, ang produksiyon ng cassava sa buong mundo ay magkakaroon ng kaunting dagdag ng 277.070 MMT mula 275.655 MMT sa tinatayang output ng 2017, ayon sa FAO. JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS
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