Agricultural groups welcomed the commitment of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to modernize farms and provide support to farmers through subsidized farm inputs in his first State of the Nation Address.
Farm inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, feeds and fuel are critical to the sector’s productivity. The Russia-Ukraine war and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have seen prices of such inputs skyrocket to stratospheric levels.
Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura executive director Jayson Cainglet said Marcos Jr. “underscored the problem of high food prices because the costs of producing them are increasing, compounded by the unnecessary layers in the value chain.” He cited the SONA’s emphasis on the government’s commitment to subsidize essential farm inputs which is hoped to lower the cost of production and increase productivity.
The President also said his administration would prioritize the modernization of the agriculture sector and provide loans for farmers to help the secure an increased volume of quality products and aid in the country’s food security.
Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. president Danilo Fausto also expressed satisfaction over Marcos’ first SONA, and stressed that the sector will await the implementation of those promises, which are for now, squarely on the President’s shoulders as he is the concurrent head of the Department of Agriculture.
The country’s agriculture sector is one of the favorites when it comes to being buttered up by politicians. Based on the experience of the former agriculture secretary who once had the audacity to promise the golden years of Philippine agriculture under his watch, the current one should have learned that lesson and not make promises he cannot keep. Hopefully for the sector, subsidizing farm inputs and promising modernization could be a more feasible promise to deliver.*
