The government on Tuesday assured farmers and fishers they would be given cash aid if they are hard hit by the El Niño weather phenomenon early next year.
At a Palace briefing, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said the assistance would also cover other vulnerable sectors through the government’s food stamp and employment assistance programs.
At the same time, Edillon said President Marcos has ordered the Department of Agriculture (DA) to intensify support to provinces that are less likely to be hit by El Niño in line with his push to increase food production.
Edillon said that even as inflation eased in October, it is crucial to continue monitoring the prices of commodities, particularly food, transportation, and energy amid global challenges such as the geopolitical uncertainties and the El Niño.
The country is experiencing a moderate El Niño, which is expected to strengthen until the first quarter of 2024, the state weather bureau said.
The dry spell will bring below-normal rainfall across the country and may lower agricultural production as well as energy generation.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said he will form an intelligence group to deal with corruption and smuggling that plague the sector.
“I will be creating my own intelligence group. They are here now, but you don’t know them,” Laurel said on the program “24 Oras.”
“One of the directives of the President is, “if there’s dirt there, clean it up,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The newly appointed agriculture chief said the President also told him to boost rice production to make the price of the staple more affordable to Filipinos.
But he acknowledged the P20 per kilo rice promised by the President during his election campaign was not yet achievable yet because of record-high prices in the world market and other factors holding back local production.
Laurel said he plans to go around the country to better assess the situation of farmers and fishers.
In a press briefing after the flag ceremony at the DA headquarters in Quezon City, Laurel said the DA under his helm will step up efforts to increase food production and modernize the agricultural sector.
“In the coming days in almost every province, I will directly talk to the farmers and fishermen. I want to personally listen to their needs, their complaints, and their vision. I want to know their situation,” he said in Filipino.
He said the President told him to modernize agriculture with the goal of achieving food security, reducing import dependence, and lifting millions of farmers and fishes out of poverty by the end of his term in 2028.
“By modernizing the agriculture sector, we could make it a more profitable venture and attract a younger generation that would ensure the country’s food security in the decades to come,” Laurel said.
Aside from boosting food production and modernization, Laurel emphasized the need to address alleged price manipulation and smuggling to ensure stable supply and prices.
He said the DA will coordinate and work closely with relevant law enforcement agencies to apprehend and prosecute those engaged in illegal trade.
Laurel called for unity and cooperation in the agricultural community to achieve their shared targets.
“I’m ready to work but I can’t do this alone. I need your full cooperation and teamwork for us to achieve our targets,” he said.
Asked whether rice production is the main priority, Laurel said while rice is the country’s staple food, there are other equally important sectors like livestock, poultry, fisheries, and high-value crops that require government attention and support.
Meanwhile, the peasants’ group Kilusan Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo at Katarungang Panlipunan (Katarungan) laid down their expectations from the new DA chief.
In an interview, Katarungan Secretary-General Danny Carranza said they are hoping Laurel will be able to address major problems in agriculture such as “adequate and appropriate support services for the farmers, infrastructure, marketing links, and processing for value addition.”
Agriculture accounts for about 10 percent of the Philippine economy and employs one in every four Filipinos.
In other developments:
* Senator Francis Escudero said Laurel can help ensure food security by focusing on rice supply and cold storage. Speaking to ANC’s “Headstart,” Escudero said Laurel should make it his priority to ensure rice supply and address “perennial problems” like produce rotting before reaching markets. He also said the National Food Authority should be given “enough powers to do what it was meant to do, which is buy high and sell low.” He said the NFA was originally “designed to lose money and perform a service, which is buying high from the farmers so that they would earn and plant again, and sell low to the public so that the price of rice would be within reach” and should be allowed to do so again. Escudero said the Rice Tariffication Law, which removed caps on rice imports, should also be reviewed.
* Senator Imee Marcos challenged Laurel to stop the Department of Agriculture from being taunted as the Department of Importation. Marcos told Laurel the DA can be rid of that image if it will stop the importation of rice and other agricultural products. Marcos noted that rice importation has been hurting Filipino farmers by cutting their income. She has assailed the DA for always resorting to importation as a solution to the rice shortages.