The Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at ensuring an efficient rice supply chain and creating an alternative market for grain.
The understanding among the three agencies would benefit farmers and consumers as it seeks to promote the Integrated Rice Supply Chain Development Program.
The program will foster an efficient supply chain, develop a business-to-business online market platform, create alternative market access for buyers and sellers, enhance farmers’ income, promote proper rice branding and classification, and make rice affordable to consumers.
DA Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel said he envisions the future of Philippine rice to be of high quality and recognized in the market.
He said the country could elevate the status of its agricultural products on a global stage with the cooperation in production, classification, marketing, and distribution of domestic rice.
The agriculture sector contributed 9 percent to gross domestic product last year and it has employed about 25 percent of the 49.7 million Filipinos in the labor force as of November.
Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas on Sunday meanwhile backed the passage of bills to bolster the nation’s agricultural sector and address hunger.
Along with the House committees on food security, and agriculture and food, he said he is working on House Bill 3777 or the Livestock, Poultry and Dairy Development Competitive Act; HB 4562 or the Right to Adequate Food Framework Act; HB 7898 or the Zero Food Waste Act, and several local bills for the city’s District 5 seeking the institutionalization at the barangay level of the Kadiwa ni Ani at Saka Program by the Department of Agriculture.
The proposed policies have offered a multi-pronged approach to address perpetual challenges in food availability, value-chain production, and sustainable agricultural practices as means to promote a more resilient and equitable food system.
The initial versions of most of the bills were also lobbied by the legislator’s older brother, ex-representative Alfred Vargas, during the 18th Congress.
The incumbent lawmaker said he is hopeful that his efforts would be fast tracked to help address the country’s growing incidence of hunger.
With his proposed legislations, he presented policies to lower the incidence of hunger to improve food affordability, availability, quality and safety; to institutionalize sustainable direct market linkages between accredited local farmers and fisherfolks, and to empower and capacitate livestock, poultry and dairy industries through a development roadmap.
He is an active member of the Quezon City government’s Task Force on Food Security, working hand in hand with Mayor Joy Belmonte on building communities with urban farming.