Plant crops on idle lands

TO fight poverty, an economic official said helping the agricultural and fisheries sectors should be a priority because a big portion of the Filipino populace rely on it.

National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) 7 Director Efren Carreon said most of the lands in Cebu and other parts of the country are idle and unproductive.

He noted that agriculture and fisheries only contribute 5.5 percent to the gross domestic product, compared to trade and industry, which contributes 37 percent, and tourism which contributes 39 percent.

“Most poor households are dependent on agriculture and fisheries. So even though agriculture and fisheries are small, we should not ignore it because these are our sources of food,” Carreon said.

He said his advocacy now is for Filipinos to plant anything that will grow on their idle lands. By that, they can contribute to the country’s economic growth and can improve the living condition of their families.

He cited the case for vegetables, saying the low supply but high demand for vegetables contributes to inflation.

“So, why not plant vegetables in our idle lands? We can have food on our table, and we can have income for our families,” Carreon said.

At present, Carreon said Cebu buys rice from other regions and imports rice from other countries. He said Cebu is the biggest rice importer because the population is high and the rice production is low.

“Although we produce corn, that is not enough. And it’s so sad that most of our lands are idle,” Carreon sad. (EOB)

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