The woes of local production

Food production cannot keep up with the immense population growth.

The Philippines’ population expansion rate was estimated at 1.4 percent in 2019 by the
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), while the agriculture sector grew by a measly 0.5 percent
in late 2020. These figures clearly show the food-population imbalance, where the rapid rate
growth of the population outpace the capacity to produce food.

While the measures to control population growth are implausible as of the moment, the
government must focus on boosting local food production instead.

Secretary Dar continues to call upon the national government to increase the agriculture’s
budget, proposing a P250 B allocation as the first, and most crucial step.

“If next year’s budget is not doubled or tripled, and it will be at the same level as the budget we
have today, we will always have the same problem that we have had before,” the agri chief
stressed.

To substantiate this campaign, the DA created the National Agriculture and Fisheries
Modernization and Industrialization Plan (NAFMIP), a 10-year strategic plan focusing on a long-
term vision of commodity industry and agricultural infrastructure development which will usher
the sector towards food sovereignty.

The implementation of the agrarian reform has also induced a significant downfall in the local
food production of the country. This reform caused fragmentation of farm lands, with farmers
individually tending small parcels of land. On average, a farmer’s land ownership is at 1-3
hectares, which is not a sizable land area for big-shot commercial and industry development.

“Farmers’ land ownership ceiling must be significantly raised to 25 hectares, if we want an

industrialized sector. If not, then we can act on it by consolidating these small farm plots, so that
we can breed technology and innovation, including infrastructure and mechanization
development which in turn will open doors for bigger markets, thus bigger incomes for our
farmers,” Secretary Dar said.

Keeping the balance

Until the agriculture sector gets its fair share of public funding to make the dream of a food
sovereign country happen, the DA will keep on working – despite its limitations – for the greater
good of the Filipino farmers and fisherfolk.

While lands cannot be increased for farm use, and food production remains a challenge, the DA
will continue to employ other efficient methods to provide food for every Filipino.

The OneDA Reform Agenda, Secretary Dar’s brainchild, has kept the agriculture sector afloat
and resilient, amid the challenges for the past three years. Built on four pillars: Consolidation,
Modernization, Industrialization, and Professionalization, the OneDA Reform Agenda’s ultimate
goal is to modernize and industrialize Philippine agriculture, and in the long run make it a major
contributor to the country’s gross domestic product.

“It is a transformative strategy, capitalizing on technology, innovation, and the drive to make our
farmers and fishers prosperous at the end of the day,” said Secretary Dar.

Once fully adopted and implemented, the OneDA Reform Agenda promises to make the
Philippines a powerhouse in agriculture, at par with other ASEAN countries.

In its short years of execution, the OneDA Reform Agenda has birthed gains and breakthroughs,
leaving a dent in the agricultural landscape of the Philippines. These include trade and export
development, agri-industrial business corridors, youth engagement in agriculture, easy and
affordable access of farmers and fishers to agri financing, private sector participation in
agriculture as ‘big brothers,’ mechanization and infrastructure investments, and agriculture
digitalization, among others.

“What works for now is our conscious unity to work towards the goal despite these myriad of
challenges. We were able to showcase it through this perfect storm: the COVID-19 pandemic,
the ASF, the birth pains of RTL, and now the Ukraine crisis. I assure you that the DA has been
working to serve our farmers and fishers, and the rest of our fellow Filipinos. We take the
lessons, we act on them, and hopefully, we realize a prosperous agriculture and fisheries,”
Secretary Dar concluded. ### (Daryl Lou Battad, DA-StratComms)