Farmers need help
Filipinos should look into more reliable agri- business ventures in the face of the looming food crisis gripping the world marked by spiraling food prices, according to published report quoting a noted Filipino economist.
The culprit is the global climate change creating havoc and massive devastation. The Philippines being a natural agricultural country, says Gonzalo Catan Jr., executive president of Mapecon Green Charcoal Philippines Inc., must be prepared to meet the eventualities climate change will bring.
There is also the bad government policy made worse by its apathy to the plight of farmers. Bad governance tends to patronize more foreign agriproducts, particularly where the country reportedly is losing tens of billions monthly to economic saboteurs.
A lot of farmers are in a quandary, he said, wondering how they can survive the onslaught of smuggling, owing to the government apathy.
These factors are driving farmers away from the field. Worse they discourage children who instead of pursuing courses in agriculture, are being overtaken by desire to take other courses that will land them white collar jobs or overseas work. This has resulted in big drop agri-schools.
The situation has made it necessary for the government to implement measures that will bring them back to the fields.
“It’s a pity, we have vast tracks of agricultural land that lay unproductive,” laments Catan, adding “it is about time the government put agriculture at the very center of development before it’s too late.”