Is Agriculture and Fisheries 2025 (AF 2025) just a political gimmick to show the farmers and fisherfolk that the government really cares for them? Or is it a sincere commitment to finally put our government in the right track in achieving true agricultural development?
Background
On February 10-11 last year, 200 stakeholders assembled in Antipolo for a precedent-setting conference. It was the first time the executive (led by Agriculture Sec. Proceso Alcala), the legislative (led by Congress Agriculture Committee chairs Sen. Francis Pangilinan and Rep. Mark Mendoza) and the private sector (led by chairs from farmer-fisherfolk coalitions like the Alyansa Agrikultura and agribusiness presidents from organizations like the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food) met to plan out two things.
The first was to formulate a vision for agriculture in 2025. The second was to identify policies, programs and projects that could help achieve this 2025 vision in the short, medium and long term. There was a sense of achievement, almost euphoria, at the end of this milestone conference.
Status
Is that enthusiasm still there? For some sectors, yes. But for the majority of the sectors, it has been transformed into guarded optimism or downright disappointment.
Can the excitement be restored? Yes. This depends on what will happen in the AF 2025 top-level meeting that will take place this Tuesday, July 17.
On that day, the elected private sector coordinators of six sectors identified during last year’s AF 2025 conference, in partnership with their six Department of Agriculture (DA) counterparts, will make presentations in a small top-level meeting with AF 2025 convenors Sec. Alcala, Sen. Pangilinan and Rep. Mendoza. The emphasis will be 2012 action.
We cannot achieve the 2025 agricultural vision if the required 2012 action is not done. Each sector will propose the two most important action items and what may be missing in the 2013 DA budget proposal. If these recommendations fall on deaf ears, the potential that AF 2025 showed in its inaugural February 2011 conference will not be realized, and therefore wasted.
The uniqueness and power of the presentations given by the six private sector leaders is that they are the joint products of both the private sector coordinator and his or her DA counterpart. Thus, these will be public-private participation (PPP) presentations. They will jointly ask for what the government has not provided yet. This is where Sec. Alcala, Sen. Pangilinan and Rep. Mendoza will play the decisive role.
Six sectors
The six sectors of the AF 2025 have been working nonstop since their formation last February 2011. They are identified here with their corresponding elected private sector leaders: (1) Rice—Former Science and Technology Minister Emil Javier; (2) Poultry, Livestock and Commercial Feeds—Urban Broilers Raisers Association chair Gregorio San Diego with Elias Jose Inciong as alternate; (3) Fisheries—Kilusang Mangingisda co-convenor Arsenio Tanchuling; (4) Commercial Crops—University of Asia and the Pacific Agribusiness Center head Rolando Dy; (5) Fruits and Vegetables—Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Agriculture vice president Robert Amores; and (6) Cross-Cutting Issues—former Agriculture Sec. Senen Bacani, with former Economics Planning Sec. Cielito Habito as alternate.
Since the start of this year, there have been 28 AF 2025 sector meetings, or an average of 4 meetings a month. But without the direct involvement of AF 2025 convenors Sec. Alcala, Sen. Pangilinan and Rep. Mendoza, the six private sector leaders believe that urgently needed action has been delayed. Without the convenors direct joint involvement, the good work of the past year run the risk of being wasted. Though the AF 2025 groups also report to the National Agriculture Fisheries Council, this has been found to be insufficient.
Conclusion
If inadequate action is taken on the AF 2025 recommendations in next Tuesday’s top-level meeting, what will this say about following P-Noy’s PPP thrust, and his statement “Ikaw and boss ko”?
My fearless forecast is that the three AF 2025 convenors will act decisively on the joint private sector-government recommendations. Otherwise, the AF 2025 potential will be perceived as just a political gimmick and its huge potential squandered away … sayang!
(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 fax 8522112)