Marcos vows stronger support for agri sector

PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. reiterated on Monday, July 22, 2024, in his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) his administration’s continued support to the agriculture sector, particularly in efforts to boost production amid the country’s bid for food security and efficiency.

Marcos opened his Sona with an admission that the Filipino people are still confronted by the high price of rice, which currently ranges from P45 to P65 per kilo.

During the 2022 campaign period, Marcos promised to lower the price of rice to P20 per kilo.

“The hard lesson of this last year has made it very clear that whatever current data proudly bannering our country as among the best-performing in Asia, means nothing to a Filipino, who is confronted by the price of rice at 45 to 65 pesos per kilo,” he said.

“Bagamat maganda ang mga istatistikang ito, wala itong kabuluhan sa ating kababayan na hinaharap ang realidad na mataas ang presyo ng mga bilihin, lalo na ang pagkain — lalo’t higit, ng bigas,” he added.

(Although these statistics are good, they are meaningless to our countrymen who are facing the reality of high prices, especially for food — and even more so, for rice.)

Food prices

Marcos cited various factors that have negatively impacted food prices, such as war, supply issues, and calamities like the recent El Niño in the country. However, he noted that over the past year, the Philippines recorded more than 20 million tons of rice harvest, the highest since 1987.

“Gayumpaman, ang ani na ito ay katumbas lamang ng labintatlong milyong tonelada ng bigas. Kulang pa rin ito para sa ating pangangailangan na labing anim na milyong tonelada ng bigas, kung kaya’t napipilitan tayong mag-angkat,” he said.

(However, this harvest is only equivalent to 13 million tons of rice. It still falls short of our need for 16 million tons of rice, which is why we are forced to import.)

“Ngunit, lokal na produksyon pa rin ang ating mas bibigyan ng halaga,” he added.

(However, we will still prioritize local production.)

Marcos reassured the people that the government is aware of their "sufferings," as he laid down the efforts of his administration to address the matter.

Over the past year, the chief executive said more than 100 million kilos of various seeds and fertilizers have been distributed to farmers.

Additionally, over 500 million fingerlings and 3,000 boats have been provided to fishermen, along with the construction and repair of fish ports and cold storage facilities to support the industry.

Government efforts

He said 300,000 female swine were also distributed to several beneficiaries.

Marcos said the government has already finalized preparations for the distribution of vaccines against African Swine Fever (ASF), a disease which, according to the Department of Agriculture, as of June 21, 2024, affected 42 barangays in 10 provinces.

The death of over 200 pigs across the country due to ASF has resulted in a spike in its market price and incurred losses to farm owners.

Marcos said the government will also continue the provision of technical and financial aid to farmers and fishermen, especially in order to educate them about new ways to increase their production.

In 2023, the Marcos administration imposed a price ceiling on rice. In June, he approved the Comprehensive Tariff Program 2024-2028, which aims to ensure access to and affordability of essential commodities while balancing the interests of consumers and local producers.

He also issued an executive order lowering tariffs on imported rice from 35 percent to 15 percent.

“Because of compelling emergency reasons, such as illegal price manipulations by hoarders, we were constrained to temporarily implement mandated price ceilings on rice. We also extended the reduced tariff rates to facilitate the importation of rice, corn, and pork until the end of this year,” he said

“Tinitiyak ko sa ating mga magsasaka at sa buong sektor ng agrikultura na ang mga ito ay pawang pangka-gipitang solusyon lamang,” he added.

(I assure our farmers and the entire agricultural sector that these are only emergency measures.)

Land titles

Marcos also said the government will continue the awarding of land titles to qualified agrarian beneficiaries, as well as resolving hundreds of cases related to agrarian reform.

Since 2022, the government has handed over 130,000 titles to beneficiaries.

Marcos said that through modernized customs procedures and heightened enforcement efforts, more than P2.7 billion worth of smuggled agri-fisheries products have been seized, preventing them from entering the market and negatively influencing prices.

The seized smuggled rice was later distributed to several Filipino families across the country.

“Soon, we will be implementing the pre-border technical verification and cross-border electronic invoicing of import commodities,” said Marcos.

“This will send a strong signal that we mean serious business,” he added.

The chief executive also commended the local government units for ceasing the collection of fees and charges from vehicles transporting goods and merchandise while passing through national roads.

He said the government will also expand the implementation of Kadiwa stores, a market linkage facilitation program of the Department of Agriculture that aims to make products such as rice, fish, poultry and livestock, fruits and vegetables, and other basic commodities accessible, available, and affordable to poor families.

Infrastructure

Marcos also touted the completion of 1,200 kilometers of farm-to-market roads across the country as well as the construction and repair of irrigation facilities which benefit 45,000 hectares of land.

He vowed to revive irrigation in 38,000 hectares of land nationwide.

“Patutunayan ng proyekto sa Jalaur River ang pinalawig na potensyal ng irigasyon. Hindi na lamang patubig sa sakahan ang kaya nitong gawin. Ito na rin ay magagamit sa pagkontrol ng baha, paglikha ng kuryente, at pati na rin para sa turismo,” said Marcos.

(The Jalaur River project will demonstrate the expanded potential of irrigation. It will not only provide water to farms but will also be used for flood control, power generation, and even tourism.)

“Moving forward, irrigation dams will supplement all our other bulk water projects to ensure water security for our people, especially in the underserved areas,” he added.

Last week, Marcos led the inauguration of the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project-Stage 2 in Iloilo, the largest water reservoir project outside of Luzon, spanning over 80 kilometers with a service area of 31,840 hectares and expected to benefit around 25,000 farmers.

In his first year in office, Marcos served as the concurrent secretary of the Department of Agriculture in a bid to combat the issues that affect the country's food stability.

The food inflation in June 2024 was recorded at 6.5 percent, which is 61.9 percent of the total headline inflation during the said month. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)