Zubiri Urges d.a. and d.t.i. to provide ‘Strong Support’ to agriculture Sector

SENATE Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri is urging the Departments of Agriculture (DA) and Trade and Industry (DTI) to provide “strong support” to the local agricultural sector as it tries to recover from losses incurred during the several stages of community quarantines brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In these times, we should be buying Filipino— rice, livestock, local produce, sugar, and so on. The basic rule in food security is to protect the most vulnerable, and that means protecting not only our consumers but also our producers,” the senator said in a news statement.

“The problem is that this basic rule gets derailed by trade practices that at times favor importation to the detriment of local producers,” he noted.

“It boggles the mind that we are still importing when our local producers are suffering from a lack of market,” Zubiri said.

He said our farmers are still trying to recoup from losing bulk buyers like restaurants, hotels, and resorts.

“If our supply chains were functional, then those local products could have easily been redirected for the benefit of our households. Local governments could have bought out the supply intended for bulk buyers, and distributed those to constituents with limited or zero income. But what happened was that our farmers had to keep competing with imports,” Zubiri said.

Meanwhile, he added, food processors continued to use raw materials and ingredients that are imported.

“I know that the DTI has taken the initiative of setting up ‘buy local’ campaigns like Go Lokal! and Pinasmunatayo. these are wonderful initiatives, except for the glaring absence of the agricultural sector. I hope that the DA can push for our local producers to be included in these campaigns. They need these platforms as much as any other industry,” he added.

“Beyond restricting imports, the DA and the DTI should also be providing logistical support to our farmers,” Zubiri said.