AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. has said the country is focused on making agriculture a source of higher-paying jobs, competitive products, and viable investment alternatives.
Addressing a regional gathering of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Laurel
elaborated on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision for a modernized agriculture sector, enunciated at the high-level ministerial session of the 37th FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) in Colombo, Sri Lanka last Feb. 20.
“We need to urgently improve productivity, resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability of our agri-food systems to make our farmers and fisherfolk more prosperous and our people more food secure,” Laurel said.
The APRC is the highest regional governing body of FAO and provides guidance to the UN organization. The Philippines has been a member of the FAO since it was established in 1945.
To modernize the agriculture sector, Tiu Laurel said the DA plans to increase investments in science-based technologies and innovations; develop a blue economy to protect, leverage and optimize the country’s coastal and marine resources.
The need to enhance the country’s capacity to collect, use and analyze agricultural data that would foster food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development is also of paramount concern that will catalyze all plans and goals.
Laurel also sought greater regional cooperation in addressing the impact of climate change on Philippine agri-food systems; adopting a “One Health” approach against threats to human, animal, plant, and environmental health and the associated food security and nutrition risks.
The DA stressed that regional cooperation must also extend to ensuring open, predictable, and fair trade of agri-food inputs and products; and empowering family farmers, women, and youth as change agents in the transition to sustainable and resilient agriculture.
“The Philippines recognizes that achieving sustainable food and nutrition security requires a whole-of-society approach with government utilizing multi-sectoral and multi-level platforms. We stand ready to do our part and work with all stakeholders,” he said.
The FAO regional conference for Asia and the Pacific is a biennial forum where high-level officials from FAO member states in the region gather to discuss challenges related to food and agriculture, with the goal of promoting regional coherence.