The Department of Agriculture (DA) shares the sentiment of the business community that the declaration of martial law in the entire Mindanao would bring more boon than bane to the economy.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said the agriculture sector would not be affected by martial law and, in fact, it could even benefit from such heightened security measure.
“Agriculture will never be affected by martial law. There could be areas that would be affected, such as those with ongoing violence, but as a whole, martial law will not affect agricultural production [in Mindanao],” Piñol said.
“In fact, if I would hazard a guess, I think this martial law would result in even more productivity,” Piñol added.
Piñol said the declaration by President Duterte to put the entire region of Mindanao under martial law sends a strong signal to rebel groups, particularly those who have been attacking agricultural companies, to stop their violence in the area.
“We all know that there are armed groups who are harassing the banana companies and burning their equipment. That will stop because the government has intensified its operations now,” he said.
“The small farmers, for example, who are being asked to give revolutionary taxes on a monthly basis, and cannot go to their farms because of fear, now they can go to their farms because they are safe. So, I think it [martial law] would even contribute to greater productivity [in Mindanao],” he added.
The Mindanao region is the top producing region of bananas and other high-value crops in the country.
Amid the peace talks between the government and leftist groups, there have been reports that rebel groups have been causing chaos to banana companies resulting in millions of losses.
Interventions
The DA has also started its interventions in the Mindanao region, particularly to those farmers who have been affected by the violence caused by the Maute Group. The agency is set to extend food aid and emergency loans to farmers and fishermen affected by the ongoing fighting in Lanao del Sur.
Piñol said he has directed all regional offices of the DA in Mindanao to start milling rice, which will be distributed to the farmers, fishermen and their families displaced by the conflict.
“A poultry company based in Davao City, Anas Breeder Farm, which is now producing canned ready-to-eat rice with chicken afritada or adobo, has pledged to produce enough volume to be able to provide halal food to evacuees who belong to the farm sector,” Piñol said in a news statement.
“Anas Breeder Farm owner Jonathan Ng Suy said the firm’s donation will be coursed through the DA, and will be continued for a certain period of time,” he added.
Piñol said this is the first time that the canned ready-to-eat rice meal will be offered to the public, as it is not yet commercially available.
“The distribution of the rice and the canned goods will be based on the listing of farming and fishing families available through the national directory of farmers and fishermen from the Department of Budget and Management [DBM],” he said.
The DA chief said the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) will also be directed to validate the list of Lanao del Sur farmers and fishermen and to provide emergency loan assistance through its survival and recovery (SURE) loans program.
“Each family will be entitled to a survival loan of at least P5,000 and when things get back to normal, they could apply for a loan under the recovery program amounting to at least P20,000,” Piñol said.
In view of the difficulty in locating farmers and fishermen affected by the conflict, the DA said it will rely mainly on the listing of the DBM for the extension of the loans.
Piñol said the distribution of the rice, canned goods and other food items would be done by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Rice situation
The National Food Authority (NFA) said it has already released 3,000 50-kilogram bags of rice intended for the victims of the ongoing battle between the military and the Maute Group in Marawi City.
The NFA said a total of 2,200 bags were withdrawn by the DSWD from the food agency’s warehouse in Tacurong, 1,000 bags more from Region 12 office and 1,200 bags from NFA Maguindanao.
“[Meanwhile], the Office of Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo also withdrew 500 bags from NFA Cagayan de Oro City and the Office of Civil Defense of Cotabato withdrew 300 bags from NFA Iligan. The stocks are for distribution as food assistance to affected families in Marawi City,” the NFA said.
The NFA assured that its office in Marawi City and warehouse are now secured by the military after the warehouse was ransacked on May 25 by Maute members who ran away with some 100 bags of rice.
The food agency said the prices of regular and well-milled rice in Lanao del Sur and neighboring provinces have remained stable in spite of the ongoing battle in Marawi City.
“Continuous market monitoring by the NFA showed that the price of regular milled rice [RMR] in Lanao del Norte, where its capital city, Marawi, is the center of fighting between the military and Maute rebels, even decreased by 5 percent after the siege, from P36 per kilogram on May 22 to P34 per kg on May 24, while well-milled rice [WMR] remained at P43 per kg during the period,” the NFA said.
“In Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental, which are about two to two-and-a-half hours away from Marawi, the price of RMR remained stable at P34.50 per kg and P36.50 per kg, respectively, while WMR also remained at P41.50 per kg and P42.50 per kg, respectively,” the NFA added.
The NFA said it continues to monitor the rice situation not only in Mindanao, but in the entire country for possible major spikes in the price of the staple. The NFA noted that the places affected by the violence and highly populated urban areas are “vulnerable” to rice price hikes during this time of emergency.
“We can never put our guard down, especially because the NFA is mandated to ensure national food security and stabilize rice supply and prices in the market at any given time,” NFA administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino said.
“Even as we focus our sights on what is happening in Marawi, we still have more than 100 million Filipinos banking on us to ensure that they will always have rice on their tables at any given day,” Aquino added.
Image credits: Fleyeing | Dreamstime.com, AP/Bullit Marquez