Sen. Cynthia Villar urged the public to work together and support the country’s food and beverage industry.
During the opening ceremony of the 17th Manila Food and Beverage Expo 2023 held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, she also urged support for the agricultural sector to further promote local produce.
At present, she said the food and beverage industry has become highly diversified, covering a wide spectrum of manufacturing practices.
This includes small-scale, traditional, family-run operations that are highly labor-intensive to large-scale, capital-intensive enterprises employing advanced mechanized industrial processes.
“Numerous food industries rely on local agriculture, produce, or fishing, while others rely on imports to meet their production needs,” Villar, chairperson of the Senate agriculture and food committee, said.
The food system, she said, operates as a complex network interconnecting farmers with various industries.
“This network covers not only the farmers themselves but also extends to include manufacturers of farm equipment and chemicals, as well as firms that provide services to agribusinesses, such as logistics and financial services,” Villar said.
She noted that the food system incorporates the food marketing industries responsible for bridging the gap between farms and consumers.
These industries consist of food and fiber processors, wholesalers, retailers, and food service establishments.
According to Villar, the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded the country of the significance of supporting the agricultural sector, with local farmers playing a vital role to ensure food security during times of crisis.
“Since the reopening of the economy in 2022, the Food and Beverage industry has been gradually recovering. In fact, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that business registrations hit a 10-year-high in 2022, with restaurants and mobile food services activities coming in as the second-highest number of new business registrations last year,” related the senator.
As the industry is one of the pillars of the economy, she said a lot of sectors are coming out to support business owners engaged in food service.
She guaranteed the government has always been supportive of the food and beverage industry, as well as the agricultural sector.
However, despite this backing, our farmers remain to be the poorest in our society.
“That is why I made it my goal to uplift the lives of the farmers, address the needs of our agricultural sector and promote food security in every legislation I write,” related the senator.