MANILA -The advocacy arm of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) is upbeat about the future of the agriculture sector, drawing optimism from its first quarter performance and the hopes that key policy recommendations for the sector will be implemented under the Marcos administration.
Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion on Tuesday noted that the agriculture sector grew by 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2023, contributing 9.1 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)
“This is good news. And once the recommendations of the private sector are considered, [agriculture] will become an even bigger contributor to the GDP of the country,” he said.
Concepcion, whose group champions local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), said these recommendations were included in the private sector-led initiative Kapatid Angat Lahat sa Agri Program (Kalap).
These recommendations included intensifying farm clustering, restructuring agriculture credit facilities to support inclusive business models, and the promotion of farm management information systems into commodity industries.
The goal of Kalap is to integrate small farmers into the value chain of the large agricultural companies, thereby helping the local sector become more productive, profitable, sustainable and globally competitive.
Concepcion also backed key appointments in the sector signaling improved confidence in the concerned government agencies, including those of National Irrigation Administration head Eddie Guillen, Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III. INQ
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