The agriculture sector is finally developing as it should.
Under the leadership of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported impressive growth in the first half this year compared with last year: 14.4 percent increase in palay production and 5.4 percent increase in agricultural output.
To sustain this growth, it is important that we follow the public-private partnership (PPP) model advocated by President Aquino, especially in agricultural governance.
Agriculture Fisheries 2025 (AF 2025) is an ideal vehicle to make this happen. It is our hope for a bright agricultural future.
Three-year perspective
To avoid falling into complacency, we must look at our recent agricultural success from a three-year perspective.
AGRICULTURAL GROWTH
FIRST SEMESTER PALAY CHANGE AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT CHANGE
(YEAR) (MT) (%) (P million)* (%)
2009** 7,376 P381,376
2010 6,621 -10.2% P370,331 -2.9%
2011** 7,572 14.4% P390,623 5.4%
*2000 constant economics Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, DA
**2011 vs. 2009: palay increase is 2.6%; agriculture;
output increase is 2.4%
From this table, we note that palay production went up by 2.6 percent while agricultural output increased by 2.4 percent compared with two years ago. This is equivalent to an annual average growth of 1.3 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively, which is slower than our annual population growth rate of 2 percent.
We must therefore not only work hard, but also work smart to achieve higher agricultural growth. We must not only do things right, but also do the right things.
AF 2025
This is where AF 2025 comes in.
Last February, approximately 150 top agricultural leaders from the government’s executive and legislative branches, together with private sector, met for a two-day live-in conference in Antipolo.
The objective was to jointly craft an agricultural development vision for 2025, as well as recommend policies and programs to achieve this vision.
Leading this tripartite group were Secretary Alcala from the executive, Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM) co-chairs Sen. Francis Pangilinan and Rep. Mark Mendoza from the legislative, and private sector leaders from the farmers, fisherfolk, and agribusiness groups.
They were divided into five agricultural subgroups, with corresponding elected coordinators. These are Rice and Food Crops with former Science and Technology Minister Emil Javier; Livestock and Feeds with United Broilers Association Chair Gregorio San Diego; Food and Vegetables with Philfoodex President Robert Amores; Fisheries with Southeast Asia Fisheries for Justice Chair Arsenio Tanchuling; and Cross-Cutting Issues (e.g., credit, technology transfer, women empowerment, etc.) with former Agriculture Secretary Senen Bacani.
Follow-up
Last May 12, the AF 2025 leaders convened at the Club Filipino in Mandaluyong to follow up on the conference’s agreements. The progress reports were quite encouraging.
However, last September 5, as the tripartite leaders prepared for an AF 2025 midyear review on October 7, they discovered that the pace of work had slackened.
Four of the five sub-sectoral groups had not been performing as well as they had prior to May 12. These groups were perhaps lulled into complacency by the 2011 first-semester agricultural growth figures.
However, given the average growth rate of 1.2-1.3 percent over the past three years, this complacency is not justified.
Last Monday, each AF 2025 subsector group thus produced a list of three to five priority actions targeted for completion by October 7. These lists produced some significant gaps, which have not been addressed to the detriment of farmers and fisherfolk.
One example was the failure to deliver a March 2008 commitment to purchase three gas chromatographers costing less than P60 million.
These machines are absolutely necessary to determine whether Philippine agricultural shipments will be accepted in certain export markets.
For example, $5 million in mango and $500,000 in okra shipments were rejected upon their arrival in Japan last year because the produce did not meet export standards. If the country had the machines, the produce would have been tested here first before shipment to make sure that standards were met.
Much more disastrous than the money loss was the damage to our credibility as reliable exporters caused by shipping out substandard goods. This deprives us of future potential exports, which means thousands of jobs for our poor farmers.
Conclusion
AF 2025 demonstrated significant achievements over the last six months. However, if we succumb to complacency, this success will not last. We recommend that intense work be undertaken to support Secretary Alcala’s commendable initiatives in preparation for the AF 2025 midyear review this October 7. If this happens, AF 2025 can indeed be our hope for a bright agricultural future.
(The author is chair of Agriwatch, former secretary for presidential flagship programs and projects, and former undersecretary for agriculture, and trade and industry. For inquiries and suggestions, e-mail agriwatch_phil@yahoo.com or telefax (02) 8522112.)