Agriculture and Fishery Modernization Plan (2012-2017) Eastern Visayas

Background
 

A.    Location

Eastern Visayas is one of three regions situated in central Philippines and serves as a link to Luzon and Mindanao through the National Maharlika Highway that runs through it.  It is bound by the Surigao Channel and the island of Mindanao on the south; by the San Bernardino Strait and the tip of the Bicol Peninsula on the north; the Maqueda Bay, Camotes and Visayan Seas, and the islands of Cebu and Bohol on the west; and the Leyte Gulf, the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean on the east.

B.    Total Land Area

Comprised of the large islands of Leyte, Samar and Biliran, as well as a number of smaller ones, the region has a total land area of 2,156,285 hectares (ha), accounting for 7.1% of the whole country.  Samar Island, the third biggest island in the country, the second biggest in the Visayas, and the biggest in the region, measures 1,355,935 ha or 63% of the whole region.  It is where three of the region’s six provinces, namely, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar, are located.  Meanwhile, the island of Leyte, on which are located the Leyte and Southern Leyte provinces, measures 744,760 ha or 35% of the region.  Biliran island, a province on its own, is 55,550 ha big (Table 1).

Table 1. Land Classification by Province (in '000 ha).
Province	Alienable and Disposable		Forest Lands		Total
	Area	%	Area	%	Area	%
Biliran	18	2.14	37	2.81	55	2.55
Leyte	293	34.84	278	21.14	571	26.48
So. Leyte	42	4.99	131	9.96	173	8.02
Samar	173	20.57	274	20.84	447	20.73
E. Samar	170	20.21	389	29.58	559	25.93
N. Samar	145	17.24	206	15.67	351	16.28
Total	841	100.00	1315	100.00	2156	100.00
Source: RPFP - Eastern Visayas, 2004, as quoted in DA RFU8. 2009, as previously cited.

    
C.    Topography and Climate

The islands of Samar, Leyte and Biliran are characterized by flat lands near and along the coasts and mountains and hills in the interior.  It has Types A and C climates, both of which are defined by wet or rainy weather in most of the year, with the former having around 10 months of rain and the latter with around seven months.  Both climates are ideal for agricultural production.

A majority (61%) of the region’s lands is forest land and the rest is alienable and disposable.  Of the region’s provinces, Leyte has the biggest alienable and disposable lands while Samar has the biggest forest lands. More than a third (39%) of the region’s land has a slope of 0%-18%, these areas being described as from level to rolling.  Meanwhile, a majority (51%) has slopes ranging from 18% to 50%.  The rest has slopes in excess of 50% and is protected forest lands.

D.    Land Use

Eastern Visayas is an agricultural area.  Forty-five percent (45%) or 976,415 ha of its total land area is devoted to agriculture.  Twenty-eight percent (28%) is forest lands, 25% is grasslands and the rest is used for other purposes.
    
Of its agricultural lands, 70% is planted to coconut and 20% is planted to rice and corn.  The rest is planted to other crops, used to raise livestock and poultry, or produce inland fishery products (Table 2).

Table 2. Existing Land Use. Eastern Visayas Region (In hectares)
Land Use	Biliran	Leyte	So. Leyte	Samar	E. Samar	N. Samar	Total	%
A. Agricultural Areas	27230	332018	90673	154906	170995	200563	976385	45.3
Rice	6408	84277	8891	24660	26737	34988	185961
Corn	239	6950	75	2186	542	148	10140
Rootcrops	473	2284	88	1042	1710	348	5945
Vegetables		325	12	38	85	188	648
Fruit Trees/Banana	615	1765	1043	16	679	135	4253
Sugarcane		19722	140				19862
Coconut	18729	203017	71766	118858	140212	132882	685464
Abaca		3912	8378	4516	695	30482	47983
Pastureland	613	3563	119	40	260	580	5175
Fishpond	153	6203	161	3550	75	812	10954
B.  Forest Area	5427	59450	26275	263559	143096	111518	609325	28.3
C.  Grasslands	22235	165555	52562	137767	128872	34435	541426	25.1
D. Miscellaneous	658	14257	3970	2868	4112	3284	29149	1.4
Total	55550	571280	173480	559100	447075	349800	2156285	100.0
Source: Bureau of Soils and Water Management.(1992)

 

E.    Socio-Demographic Profile

1.    Population

The population of Eastern Visayas in 2007 totaled 3,912,936 and increased by 1.1% per annum (p.a.) over the period 2000-2007.  It increased by 1.5% p.a. in the 1990s and by 0.9% p.a. in the 1980s.  Of its provinces, Leyte is the most populous, accounting for 44.1% of its total in 2000.  Samar is the second most populous with 17.8% of its 2000 population while Eastern Samar is the third most populous with 10.5% of its population in the same year.     
Eastern Visayas is relatively less densely populated than the whole country, having a population density of 168 persons per square kilometer (km2) in 2000, 92 persons/km2 less than the country’s density then.  Of its provinces, Leyte is the most densely populated, followed by Biliran and Southern Leyte.  By far, the least densely populated of its provinces is Eastern Samar, whose population density in 2000 totaled 87 persons/km2.

2.    Income and Expenditure

The average family in Eastern Visayas has consistently earned and spent less than the national average.  In 2003, the region’s average annual family income was Php103,000, the fourth lowest in the country and 30.4% lower than the national average.  Its average annual family expenditure, on the other hand, was Php84,000, also fourth lowest nationwide and 32.3% lower than the national average.  Its average annual family disposable income then was Php19,000. This was the 7th highest in the country, thereby proving the thrift of the region’s people, and 20.8% lower than the national average.   

In 2006, the region’s average family income in a year increased substantially relative to other regions, amounting to Php125,731, the 7th lowest among the regions, although still lower than the national average by 27.2%.  Its annual average family expenditure also increased substantially, totaling Php104,070, the 6th lowest nationwide, and 29.3% lower than the national norm.  Its annual family disposable income, meanwhile, amounted to Php19,000, the 8th highest in the country.

3.    Poverty Incidence and Poverty Threshold

Eastern Visayas belongs to the lower half of the poorest regions in the country.  In 2006, it was the fifth poorest with 40.7% of its families and 48.5% of its population being poor.  Only the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Caraga, MIMAROPA, and Bicol, in order starting with the poorest, were poorer than it was.  Its situation was actually worse than in 2003 when it was ranked the seventh poorest, with 35.3% of its families and 43% of its population being considered poor.  In that year, it ranked better than the Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao, in addition to the four other regions it outranked in 2006.  In 2006, these two regions experienced dramatic improvements in its poverty incidence.

4.    Education

In school year 2004-2005, Eastern Visayas topped the whole country in the National Achievement Test (NAT) for Grade VI pupils and fourth year secondary students.  While the national average mean percentage score for the NAT for elementary pupils was 58.7, that of the region was 69.2. Meanwhile, the average mean percentage score achieved by the region for the NAT for secondary students was 58.6.  That of the country as a whole was 46.8.  In the same school year, the top Division for elementary and secondary schools in the whole Department of Education was Eastern Visayas. ¹

F.    The Economy

 The Region’s Gross Domestic Product

Eastern Visayas has consistently been in the lower half of the regions in terms of Regional Gross Domestic Product (RGDP).  In 2008, at Php30 billion, it was the fourth lowest, accounting for merely 2.1% of the country’s total.  Moreover, over the period 2006-2008, its RGDP has grown at rates below the national average.  In 2007, while the country’s GDP grew by 7.1%, its RGDP grew at less than half the pace, at 3.1%.  This was the slowest pace among those of the regions.  In 2008, its RGDP fared better, growing by 3.6%, the 8th fastest among the regions.  However, the country’s GDP grew by 3.8%.

The three economic sectors, namely, Agriculture, Fishery, and Forestry; Industry; and Services contributed almost equally to the region’s RGDP.  In the years where data are available, that is, 2009, the services sector contributed the biggest share at 36.7%.  Meanwhile, the agriculture, fishery and forestry sector contributed 33.3% and the industrial sector accounted for 30% (Table 3).

Table 3. Gross Regional Domestic Product. Eastern Visayas (at constant 1985 prices)

INDUSTRY	Amount (‘000)				% to Total (2009)
	2006	2007	2008	2009
I. Agri., Fishery & Forestry	9,355,915	9,835,920	10,317,518	10,154,161	33.3
II. Industry	8,719,839	8,545,339	8,733,626	9,151,367	30
III. Services	10,017,853	10,571,908	10,888,630	11,176,497	36.7
Total GRDP	28,093,607	28,953,167	29,939,775	30,482,024	100

Source: Gross RSET-2011.

Employment

Despite the economic growth rates that are below national average, the employment situation in Eastern Visayas has been better than the rest of the country.  During the period 2000-2003, the region’s employment rates hovered around 92% while that of the country was 90%.  The region’s unemployment rates, meantime, were in the upper 7% while that of the country averaged 10%.  Its visible underemployment rates, however, were substantially more than what was observed nationwide (Table 4).

Table 4. Employment Statistics. Eastern Visayas.
Indicator	2000	2001	2002	2003	Phil
Labor Force ('000)	1,496	1,641	1,668	1,749	30,913
Employment Rate (%)	92.2	92	92.6	92.2	90
Unemployment Rate (%)	7.8	8	7.4	7.8	10
Visible Underemployment rate (%)	14.5	17.2	16.7	nd	11
Source: RPFP-Eastern Visayas. 2004.

G.    The Agriculture and Fishery Sector
    
Eastern Visayas is predominantly an agricultural region.  More than half of its population directly and indirectly earn livelihood from agriculture.  About a third (32%) of its economy is derived from the sector.

Gross Value Added of Agriculture
    
The agriculture, fishery and forestry sector experienced robust growth during the period 2005 to 2007.  It produced a total of Php 8.8 billion in value of production in 2005 to Php 9.8 billion in 2007, an average annual rate of 10.69%.  Crops was the biggest sub-sector, contributing 46.6% of the agricultural gross value added (GVA) in 2007 while fisheries was the fastest growing with an average growth rate of 23.11% per annum during the period.  It was also the second largest sub-sector, accounting for 27.7% of the agricultural GVA. yearly.  It was followed by the livestock and poultry, and then the agricultural activities and services sub-sectors (Table 5).

Table 5. Gross Value Added, Agriculture and Fisheries, Eastern Visayas (at constant 1985 prices), 2005-2010, in '000

Sub-sector	2005	2006	2007	Ave. Growth Rate (%)
Crops	4,155,218	4,315,714	4,583,149	10.3
Livestock and Poultry	2,100,495	2,087,719	2,090,802	-0.46
Fisheries	2,214,049	2,526,584	2,725,775	23.11
Agri. Activities & Services	415,004	423,712	435,057	4.83
Total	8,884,766	9,353,729	9,834,783	10.69

Agricultural Area

Agricultural areas in Eastern Visayas total 976,385 ha.  Of these areas, a great majority (98.4%) or 960,256 ha is planted to crops.  Fishponds are established in 1.1% while pasturelands account for the rest.

Of the croplands, 71.4% is planted to coconut.  Another 19.4% is planted to rice and 5% to abaca.  The rest of the lands is planted to other crops, primarily sugarcane, corn, and rootcrops.

Of the provinces in the region, Leyte has the largest croplands, its area planted to crops totaling 322,252 ha.  It is followed by Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar, whose croplands measure from 150,000 ha to 200,000 ha.  It is these same three provinces which have the most extensive coconut lands, with the former having around 200,000 ha planted to the crop while the latter three having coconut lands hovering around the 120,000 ha to 140,000 ha range.  A substantial part of the croplands of Samar (24,660 ha) is planted to rice, although Leyte has the most extensive ricelands, which measure 84,277 ha (Table 6).

Table 6. Existing Agricultural Land Use, Eastern Visayas, 2003 (in ha)
Land Use	Biliran	Leyte	So. Leyte	Samar	E. Samar	N. Samar	Total	%
Crops	6,464	322,252	90,393	151,316	170,660	199,171	960,256	98.35
Coconut	18,729	203,017	71,766	118,858	140,212	132,882	685,464	71.38
Rice	408	84,277	8,891	24,660	26,737	34,988	185,961	19.37
Abaca		3,912	8,378	4,516	695	30,482	47,983	5
Sugarcane		19,722	140				19,862	2.07
Corn	239	6,950	75	2,186	542	148	10,140	1.06
Rootcrops	473	2,284	88	1,042	1,710	348	5,945	0.62
Fruit Trees/Banana	615	1,765	1,043	16	679	135	4,253	0.44
Vegetables		325	12	38	85	188	648	0.07
Pastureland	613	3,563	119	40	260	580	5,175	0.53
Fishpond	153	6,203	161	3,550	75	812	10,954	1.12
Total	27,694	332,018	90,673	154,906	170,995	200,563	976,385	100
Percent	2.79	34	9.29	15.87	17.51	20.54	100
Source: RSET 2004

 

  ¹Department of Education. 2005. Report Card of the Public School System (SY 2004-2005). unpublished.