Farmers want DA to strengthen transparency

Farmers are calling on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to strengthen its transparency and participatory mechanisms amid several issues hounding the agency.

The Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PKSK) slammed the DA for its lack of consultations amid the fertilizer and rice import issues.

PKSK national chair Ruperto Aleroza said DA-attached agency Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), which is supposed to facilitate broad-based participatory processes in the sector, has not been holding regular consultations at the national level.

Among these include trade issues and other agriculture and fishery policies, programs and budgets especially related programs under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

“Early this year, PCAF’s budget was cut by around 50 percent and Secretary Dar has yet to explain to his agriculture and fisheries constituency why he has let this happen,” Aleroza said.

“This is the result of a really bad policy. Private sector and civil society organizations engagement are now at a loss where to legitimately raise our immediate concerns as the regular engagement platform that has been in effect or operating for more than 40 years has been castrated,” he said.

Instead of curtailing PCAF, the group called on the DA to strengthen the participatory body and initiate broader participation of various farmers and rural based organizations in monitoring agriculture and fisheries projects including the RCEF and the stimulus fund amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.

“We call on the DA to immediately restore regular consultations and activate committees so participatory governance and transparency within the department can again be practiced for the farmers and fisherfolks benefits in particular,” Aleroza said.

“Successful leadership and agriculture modernization can only be achieved if it is more informed and shared by a wider active constituency particularly by and among small food producers,” he said.