(Private sector investments kailangan) SUPORTA PA SA AGRI SECTOR

DAPAT muling pag-isipan ng administrasyong Marcos ang istratehiya sa agrikultura sa pamamagitan ng pagsusulong ng mga batas na maghihikayat sa mas maraming private sector investments sa sektor, ayon sa isang ranking official sa Kamara.

Sinabi ni House Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto na ang P177 billion budget para sa sektor ng agrikultura sa ilalim ng panukalang P5.768 trillion budget para sa 2024 ay hindi magiging sapat para tugunan ang problema, pangunahin ang mababang produksiyon ng bigas, na staple food ng bansa.

“P177 billion [is the budget, up by P8.5 billion [from 2023], but it is not enough. It is really very difficult [at that budget given that] 60%, if not more of the household budget goes to food….primarily rice. The average size of farm land nowadays is just 1.2 hectares,” pahayag ni Recto sa panayam ng ANC.

“We should rethink agriculture strategy already. Our agrarian reform budget is just around P8 billion to P9 billion which is a small amount, and the farmers’ children don’t want to be farmers. Because it is so hard to plant rice. It is like running a marathon on a daily basis with bent hips. We have to think about how to mechanize, and you need the private sector [funding for the agriculture sector]. You cannot rely on the government alone. You need to do more corporate farming,” dagdag pa niya.

Ayon kay Recto, sa ilalim ng umiiral na mga batas, ang isang magsasaka ay maaari lamang magmay-ari ng limang ektarya ng agricultural land na naglilimita sa isang produktibong magsasaka.

“A productive farmer should be able to expand his land from five to 10 hectares,” aniya.

“We have to rethink our strategy because in fairness to the President, the agriculture sector posted growth, but still not on pace with the growth of our total population,” dagdag ni Recto.

Ayon pa sa mambabatas, nasa 30% lamang ng mga Pilipino ang nasa agriculture sector, at ang kontribusyon nito sa total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ng bansa ay 8% lamang.

“We need to rethink our agriculture strategy and allow for private sector investments in agriculture, [allow for] amendments in the law which could make the land more productive,” ani Recto.

“It is hard to mechanize when your average farm size is 1.2 hectares.”