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SINCE I
started this series of columns on the need for a
comprehensive and long-term renaissance program for
agriculture, I have discussed several components of a
grand strategy to implement that program, namely,
conducting an inventory of agricultural resources,
corporate farming, agricultural education and revisiting
the carabao.
These
are just a few possible components of the proposed grand
strategy. I’m sure when policymakers and experts sit
down to prepare the details of such program, other
options will come out. My suggestions are aimed at
starting the ball rolling.
I’d like
to emphasize here that whatever shape the final program
takes, and whatever components are included in it, the
key element should be the Filipino farmer. After all,
our ultimate objective is to free our farmers from the
shackles of poverty, which, sadly, has not been
accomplished through land distribution. And even the
extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
should be aimed at helping the beneficiaries increase
production and income, not just to give them land
titles.
In the
past we have been talking about the outsourcing industry
as a labor-intensive, high-paying industry. That’s fine.
Thousands of our people are now receiving good salaries
working in call centers and other segments of the
outsourcing industry, mainly in Makati, Ortigas and
other urban areas.
The
outsourcing industry, tourism and overseas Filipino
workers have been driving the growth of the property
sector and the economy, in general.
We
should continue supporting the outsourcing industry and
all other sectors of the economy. But let’s pay equal
attention to the Filipino farmers and their families,
who account for more than half of our population. The
majority are the poor, who, despite our achievements in
the industry and services sectors, have not seen
significant improvement in their lives.
It’s
unfortunate that while we pursued the development of
some industries, we neglected other sectors of the
economy, including agriculture, which still accounts for
a quarter of our gross domestic product despite its
present condition.
As a
result of years of neglect, many farmers no longer till
their lands. They are deep in debt because of the high
cost of farm inputs like fertilizers. Thousands of
hectares of farmlands are idle and unproductive,
tractors have been sold and many irrigation systems are
in a state of disrepair, while many farms still lack
irrigation.
The
problem does not end when the seeds are planted. After
harvest, farmers are confronted with the lack of drying
and threshing facilities. Then, when their crops are
finally threshed and ready for the market, they fall
victims to cartels that manipulate prices. There is
hardly anything left for the next cropping season, and
the cycle of poverty continues.
I have
noted before that the global food crisis offers a good
opportunity to exploit our potential in agriculture. The
world is hungry for agricultural products like rice,
fruits and vegetables, and even flowers. Our country can
produce more than what it needs, and it can sell
surpluses to other countries to help their people and,
at the same time, generate foreign exchange for us.
This
could be, you know, our last chance to revive our
agriculture sector. The good thing is that we have the
resources, though not as much as we would like, to
finance such revival. Billions have been released by the
government to subsidize rice and fertilizer and even
electricity (at least for lifeline residents of Metro
Manila). Billions are also being disbursed to repair
irrigation systems.
These
are absolutely urgent and temporary measures that
address immediate needs for a short period. But
subsidies, as I have said before, cannot be the
permanent solution to the food crisis, and they will not
solve the long-standing problem of farmers.
I must
emphasize that a renaissance of agriculture, with the
improvement of the farmer’s life as the primary
objective, is what we need. It will give us food
security, enhance farm exports and increase farmers’
income, as well as their capability to improve their
standard of living.
Let’s
not, however, lull ourselves into endless debates on how
to proceed with the revival of agriculture. And I hope
that my proposal to formulate a grand strategy for a
program that should be implemented from five to 10 years
will encourage concrete action, not mere lip service!
At the
end of the day, what do we want, really? Isn’t it to
eliminate the scourge of poverty in our country, once
and for always?
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