Monday, March 10, 2008 FTA: Terminate RP-China land lease deal By Karl G. Ombion
THE Fair Trade Alliance of the Philippines wants the government to permanently terminate the 1.2 million hectares land lease agreement with a China- based agricultural firm instead of simply suspending the contract.
Dr.Rene Ofreneo said their group fears that the agreement might be revived because of the ongoing consolidation of data or mapping of idle and unproductive land being done by government agencies particularly the Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture.
Ofreneo said that the three departments which he called as "converges" were tapped by the national government to identify possible lands that will be leased to the Chinese firm and he was able to obtain information that the government had already committed said lands as early as January last year.
He also lambasted the government for saying that there are so many lands available for the said lease agreement but refused to identify specific areas in the country.
"They are talking of 1.2 million hectares of idle and unfertilized lands but where is the map and what does it guarantee farming communities particularly those already identified for land distribution will not be affected?"
He explained that in the agreement China will help the government in the development of infrastructure projects in the identified 1.2 million hectares.
Because it is a lease agreement, China will bring technology management and take over the land, and implement their priorities; so, our food security becomes uncertain, he stressed.
Ofreneo also said that together with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines they had negotiated with DA secretary Arthur Yap, who made the actual negotiations with the Chinese Firm in behalf of the government of the Philippines, for the suspension of the agreement insisting that it is disadvantageous to the country and to the millions of farmers who might be affected.
Ofreneo urged the government that instead of pushing for said idle lands for a lease with a foreign company, it should instead fast track its implementation of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and to give enough support services like modern agriculture technology, financial assistance, farm to market roads, fertilizers and to strengthen Agrarian Reform Communities to make them productive and improve the food productivity capacity of the agriculture sector.
