Business New tech for agri
MARRYING technology and agriculture is nothing new. Over the course of the history, civilizations have developed various technology to improve agriculture.
Recently, nations are tapping into the power of digital technology to improve the agriculture sector in their respective countries.
However, in the Philippines, the movement to use the potential of digital technology has only started to gain ground.
Henry Aguda, Chief Technology and Operations Officer and Chief Transformation Officer of UnionBank, said during the TechUp Pilipinas Agri Summit press conference on August 25 at Events @ Enderun, Azuela Cove, Davao City said when it comes to digital technology, the use of the internet and mobile applications are already widely used by different agriculture players.
He said the technology has been used to improve agriculture and to increase yield and productivity.
“The Philippines have tried to use the technology but it was costly and complicated... [But] We are excited now as there is a new set of digital technology that allows us to address problems,” Aguda said.
He said this new set of technology includes articial intelligence, blockchain, and internet of things (IOT).
“These are new tecnology that are not as expensive as its predecessors but are also easy to deploy,” Aguda said, adding that agriculture is going to be one of those areas where these new set of technology can adress the problems being faced in the agricultural sector.
For blockchain, Aguda said it can be used in tracking produce from farm to table.
“Blockchain will allow you to track the source of the produce until where it was served,” he said.
Aguda said in Malaysia, he encountered a developer who used blockchain technology to track the parts of the cow from where it came from to where it was served.
He said this is being done to seek financial support for backyard cow growers,” he said.
Aguda said there are already firms in the country that are developing softwares or applications using these new technologies.
“With these new technologies, when you combine them together you can increase yields. The technolgy does not increase yields in increments but it can increase it to 200 to 300 times depending on how well you execute it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Clint Hassan, Department of Agriculture’s (DA) director for information and communications technology service, said the integration of new forms of technology, especially those on information and communication tchnology, are already part of the agency’s roadmap for the agricultural sector of the country.
He said they have some 20 information technology (IT) initiatives laid out for 2018 to 2020. Thees initiatives have already been presented to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Economic
MANILA -- The Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities or TRABAHO bill is allocating PHP25 billion for five years for the information technology and business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) sector to upscale the skills of its employees.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary and Development Authority. A budget for these projects has also been allotted already.
Hassan said the IT sector Ceferino Rodolfo told reporters that the government will allocate PHP5 billion annually for five years for the IT-BPO industry once TRABAHO bill is enacted into law.
“We direct this incentive to the source of competitiveness [of the industry], which is your people,” Rodolfo said. has the power to help improve the food yield in the country.
Meanwhile, in a bid to
According to House Bill No. 8083, the PHP5billion annual allocation for the IT-BPO sector “shall be solely used to pay for formal academic or training programs of accredited private or public schools and training centers”.
Rodolfo added that this perk is somehow akin to the voucher system implemented before for the industry to give trainings to those who would like to work in the IT-BPO sector. But this time, the budget is for upgrading the workforce to maintain the competitiveness of the industry.
The industry has aired its concerns in the second package of the tax reform program of the administration, particularly fearing to lose certain perks once this bill on rationalization of fiscal incentives is passed.
It was noted that most of the IT-BPO firms are registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), where they are currently enjoying the 5-percent gross income earned (GIE) tax incentives. Lower corporate income tax rate of 10 percent is also being provided for regional operating headquarters.
Once the version of TRABAHO bill in the lower house is passed, the 5-percent GIE tax incentive will be removed for the next two to five years.
Together with the electronics industry, IT-BPO shares around 20 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. (PNA)