The administration of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will inherit an agriculture sector that has been “underbudgeted, neglected all these 30 years,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said Monday—including almost three years under his helm.
“It’s gasping for breath, and we need sizable budgetary support to make it possible to really now unlock the potential of Philippine agriculture,” said Dar, who was appointed DA chief in 2019.
“I would’ve been much happier if agriculture would have been properly budgeted,” he added.
Dar, a vocal supporter of Marcos Jr., has consistently said he is willing to serve under the incoming administration.
“If offered, I am there to serve this incoming leadership. If given the chance,” he said.
On Monday, Dar led the launching of the P2.5-trillion National Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization and Industrialization Plan (NAFMIP) 2021-2030 which aims to serve as a directional plan for the sector’s growth in the coming years.
The plan targets to have at least a P250 billion budget annually for 10 years, for a total of P2.5 trillion.
In particular, the fisheries sector, Dar said, needs a budget of P12 billion, triple its current budget of P4 billion.
“That’s the level of budget we need in agriculture…We’re having strides in most areas, we can do much more if we’re given the right budgeted support,” he said.
“We recommit to ensuring that our economy is a place where all farm and fisher communities can thrive. And it is a whole-of-government effort.
Our vision of food sovereignty cannot be achieved without a mature, industrialized economy and harmonized food systems,” Dar added.
With NAFMIP, Dar said the succeeding leadership will not start from scratch as the plan can be further strengthened and translated into various programs, projects, and activities in the near-term, medium-term, and long-term.
According to the DA, NAFMIP is by far the most comprehensive development blueprint for the agriculture sector since the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997.
“It is a strategic plan that defines the directions, strategies, and priorities in developing and growing Philippine agriculture with the objective that we are able to transform and unlock the potential of Philippine agriculture,” Dar said.
According to the DA planning team led by planning and research undersecretary Fermin Adriano, the NAFMIP’s guiding goals are raising profitability and total incomes, promoting consumer health and nutrition, and enhancing environmental sustainability and resilience.
“Triple the budget to at least P250 billion a year. Absent that, I cannot propose better solutions,” Adriano said.
“Investing in our farmers and fisherfolk is investing in a future of economic growth and prosperity for all Filipinos,” he added.
The looming food crisis, which the DA said was ascertained by experts and analysts worldwide, can be attributed to the disruption of the global supply chain due to the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
The Ukraine crisis continues to impact Philippine agriculture, resulting in a 0.3 percent decline in the value of agricultural production for the first quarter of 2022.
The crops, livestock, and fisheries sub-sectors performed dismally at -1.6 percent, -1 percent, and -5.8 percent production volume, respectively.
Only the poultry production volume remained promising at 12.3 percent.
“I hope the new administration understands the enormity of the responsibility we face at the moment in agriculture,” Dar said.
Meanwhile, Senator Cynthia Villar scored Dar’s plan to import 38,695 metric tons (MT) of small pelagic fish like galunggong (round scad), sardines, and mackerel to be sold locally.
Villar, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said Dar’s administrative order on the fish importation was effective immediately after its issuance on May 23.
She said the order was issued again without consultation with the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) as required under Republic Act No. 8850.
The 38,695 MT, Villar said, accounts for the remaining volume from the previously approved 60,000 MT which did not arrive according to schedule.
“The consistent importation results in compromising both the livelihood of the fisherfolks and promoting falsehood or fabrication of facts to justify vested interest,” the senator said.