Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. underscored the importance of sustainable agriculture and its role in ensuring a sufficient supply of affordable food for future generations.
Tiu-Laurel noted the critical role agriculture plays in creating jobs in the Philippines as he addressed the opening of Farmers and Fisherfolk Month.
He said agriculture significantly impacts food prices, a key factor in inflation and influences the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ interest rate decisions.
“We need to ensure that future generations can rely on this sector by making agriculture sustainable through the promotion of environmental stewardship, enhancement of biodiversity, and mitigation of climate change impacts,” he said.
Tiu-Laurel said these goals could be reached by adopting modern and sustainable farming practices, improving farm competitiveness and profitability and utilizing mechanization to increase yields and lower production costs.
He cited the importance of supporting and empowering those in the agricultural sector and called for modernizing and mechanizing the sector to benefit food producers, processors and agri-fishery stakeholders.
Agriculture Undersecretary for operations Roger Navarro, in a separate speech, cited the month-long celebration as a recognition of the farmers and fisherfolk’s contributions to the national economy.
“The work that Filipino farmers and fisherfolk accomplish day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset, puts food on our tables, drives the national economy, and preserves our way of life. We are determined to foster an environment where all farm and fishery enterprises can grow and thrive,” he said.
Navarro emphasized the DA’s focus on ensuring wider access to farm machinery, infrastructure, new technologies, and proper training.
The initiatives aim to create jobs and investment opportunities in the farming and fishery sectors, he said.
