The Department of Agriculture (DA) expects that the conflict between Israel and Palestine will only have a minimal effect on the local agriculture production of the Philippines.
"The Israel government has been a long-time partner of the DA in various initiatives particularly in water management and fertilization, and so we hope for the immediate resolve of the conflict in the Middle East," DA Asec. Arnel De Mesa said in a statement on Tuesday, October 10.
He mentioned that various rice areas in the country has adapted fertigation, an Israeli-technology which combines the efficient distribution of plant nutrients through drip irrigation.
De Mesa explained that fertigation allows Filipino farmers to apply the precise amount of nutrients in their crops while conserving water.
The DA official added that the Philippines continues to strengthen collaboration with Israel on various initiatives relative to training, internship, professional exchange, as well as monitoring and evaluation, to improve agricultural productivity.
“Aside from innovative farm and water systems, we have longstanding trade partnerships with Israel,” De Mesa said.
He mentioned that Israel has been has been buying desiccated coconut, pineapple juice and concentrates, and other mixtures from Filipino producers.
The agriculture department said that the toral exports of Israel for various Philippine products reached 3,441,855 kilograms in 2022.
DA added that Israel bought a total of 3,366,963 kilograms of various agricultural commodities since January 2023 to June this year.
De Mesa said that the trading agreement between the Philippines and Israel includes the importation of different processed products, including orange and grape juice, as well as other fructose.
The agriculture department also shared that the Philippines imported US$ 3.28 million worth of fertilizer from Israel in 2022.
DA said that data from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority show that a total of 4,555 metric tons of muriate of potash have been imported from January 2023 to October this year.
On Saturday, October 7, the Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack against Israel.
The Israeli army retaliated with an assault in the Gaza Strip, an area controlled by the Hamas, which reports state have resulted to more than 700 deaths.
