CRISIS IN THE FIELDS: Agri, Fisheries Slump Hurts Western Visayas Economic Growth

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor 

While Western Visayas celebrated significant economic growth over the past years, it masked a troubling truth: the region’s backbone — the agriculture, forestry, and fishing (AFF) industry — continues to crumble.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the AFF sector has posted three consecutive years of negative growth, further weighing down the region’s overall economic performance.

The downward trend began in 2022 when the region logged a -1.9% AFF growth rate, following a positive growth rate of 4.0% in 2021 and 6.4% in 2020. It further shrank to -3.7% in 2023.

The 2024 figures, which already exclude the Negros Occidental and Bacolod City due to the creation of Negros Island Region (NIR) — reveal a more alarming picture: the AFF sector plummeted by -7.3%.

Had Negros Occidental and Bacolod City remained part of Western Visayas, the figure would have been even worse — a staggering -8.4%, according to the PSA.
When these two areas are excluded from the 2023 data as well, the contraction for that year stands at -6.22%.

What’s driving the decline?

The AFF sector, as defined by the PSA, encompasses all economic activities related to the production of crops, livestock, forestry products, and fishery resources.

In 2024, the sector contributed PHP 93.16 billion, or 14.5%, to the Western Visayas economy — which remains predominantly services-based.

The PSA said the region’s AFF sector is primarily driven by crops, which contribute 50.3%, followed by fishing at 18.6%, animals at 16.5%, and support activities at 14.5%. Forestry had a share of 0.04% to the region’s AFF sector.

National Economic Development Authority Western Visayas (NEDA-6) director Arecio Casing, Jr. said the sector’s poor performance is driven by underinvestment, outdated practices, and a shifting demographic.

He noted that the continuous decline is a major concern, which has already been raised to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos, alongside Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., joined the Regional Development Council (RDC-6) meeting on February 13, 2024.

“During the president’s visit, agriculture has always been on our radar due to its declining growth rate. This was the number one and number two items in our agenda during his visit,” he said.

Casing noted that a key reason for the agricultural decline is insufficient funding support.

“We want to push further in terms of the Regional Development Council (RDC) funding support for agriculture activities, namely food security and other matters. I find this to be critical since the services industry is also fueled by agricultural production,” he highlighted.

He noted that many farmers are still heavily dependent on planting palay and corn, which have become less competitive and more vulnerable to climate disruptions.

A shift to high-value crops like cacao, mango, and squash is now being considered to diversify income and stabilize production.

“We’ll have to create a better mix of planting agricultural products. Diversification is a strategy that we can use to improve our agriculture figures,” he said.

Casing also noted that the region is also grappling with the generational decline in farming. Children of farmers are opting for careers outside agriculture, citing low returns, physical labor, and lack of innovation.

NEDA is also awaiting the full completion and operation of the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) Stage II, which is set to significantly benefit the agricultural sector in Western Visayas by providing year-round irrigation to over 30,000 hectares of farmland and supporting around 25,000 farmers.

JRMP II, a large-scale water reservoir, is expected to increase annual rice production in the region by 160,000 metric tons, which accounts for nearly 20% of the region’s rice requirement.

On the fisheries side, Casing said the Supreme Court (SC) ruling invalidating the 15-kilometer municipal waters limit has significant impacts on fisheries, particularly on small-scale and municipal fishers.

Previously, municipal waters extending 15 km from the shore were reserved exclusively for smallscale fishers, protecting them from competition by commercial fishing vessels.

The ruling declared this provision unconstitutional, allowing commercial fishing operations with large vessels and advanced gear to enter these waters, which were traditionally off-limits to them.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), together with the Department of Agriculture and the Office of the Solicitor General, is actively appealing the SC ruling.

BFAR has filed a motion for reconsideration and is seeking to elevate the case to the full SC en banc for a final decision.

Promote local

The separation of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City into NIR has brought statistical clarity but not necessarily solutions.

Casing admitted that while NIR’s AFF economy is larger, it too is experiencing similar declines.

Negros Occidental’s AFF experienced declines in 2021 and 2022 but rebounded with a 5.8% growth in 2023. Bacolod City also faced declines in 2021 and 2022 but recovered modestly with a 2.0% growth in 2023.

Casing called on local government units (LGUs) to actively promote their agricultural sector, such as supporting organic movements, slow food movements, and local marketplaces.

He added that LGUs can also pass ordinances that prioritize buying locally produced products.

“I hope LGUs promote their own produce […] These also help their local farmers, so there are initiatives to benefit that can further promote your production through the demand side,” he said.

Casing added that the RDC is now consolidating investment programs and will support those proposed by agricultural and fisheries agencies.

These programs will be included in the midterm update of the Regional Development Plan (RDP), which serves as the blueprint for economic recovery.

“What we will do with the RDP is really to find ways to improve the numbers. NIR also has its problems. Their figures are also declining at a certain rate, similar to all other regions,” he said.

“I believe there will be a tapering off of the declining growth. Hopefully it will be neutralized, and hopefully it will come up. This will be a major discussion in the policy together with our concerned agencies,” he added.