Senatorial candidate and incumbent Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Sunday said the government would have to invest more substantially in the agriculture sector if it wants to attract a new generation of farmers and ensure food security for the country.
Citing data from the World Bank, Escudero lamented that agriculture workers accounted for only 22.86 percent of the Philippine labor force in 2019, compared with 37.11 percent in 2000.
This means more and more Filipinos are abandoning farms and farm work, noted the former senator who is now gunning for a fresh term in the Senate in the May 2022 polls.
“Ang average na edad ng ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda ay 58 years old. In two years’ time, senior citizen na sila. Walang bagong henerasyon ng magsasaka at mangingisda na pumapalit sa kanila (The average age of our farmers and fishermen is 58 years old. In two years time, they are already senior citizens. We don’t have a new generation of farmers and fishermen who will take their place,” Escudero said.
“Dahil sino mang magsasaka, mangingisda, magniniyog o nagtatanim ng gulay, ang pangarap para sa anak nila ay maging teacher, pulis, sundalo, abogado, nurse, doctor. Walang nangangarap na sumunod sa yapak nila sa hirap ng buhay, (Because any farmer, fisherman would want their children to be a teacher, policeman, soldier, lawyer, nurse or doctor. No one wanted their children to follow their lead because their life was hard),” he said.
A Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) study showed that poverty incidence is highest among agriculture workers, with 31.6 percent of farmers and 26.2 percent of fisherfolk living in poverty as of 2018. They were even worse off in 2015, when 40.8 percent of farmers and 36.9 percent of fisherfolk were poor.
But in other countries, farmers and fishermen are one of the wealthiest and most prosperous sector in their society.
“Ito’ý dahil sa subsidiya na binibigay sa kanila ng pamahalaan. Samantalang ang pinakamahihirap sa Pilipinas, nasa sektor ng agrikultura (And this is because of the subsidy their government gives them. While in the Philippines, most of those who are poor are in the agriculture sector,” Escudero pointed.
The veteran legislator said government neglect of agriculture has made the Philippines increasingly reliant on imports, particularly from Vietnam and Thailand. The Philippines is among the top rice importers in the world.
“Panahon na para patunayan nating pwedeng magkaroon ng sapat na kita ang magsasaka at mangingisda para mapalitan na sila ng mas batang Pilipino na maglalagay pa rin ng pagkain sa ating mga lamesa (It’s time that we prove that our farmers can have better income so we can encourage younger Filipinos to be like them and we can still have food on the table),” he said.
He is also challenging the next president to commit P400-billion to agriculture from the national budget, increasing over the next six years.
“Kung gusto natin bumangon sila mula sa pandemya at sa kahirapan, kailangan bigyan sila ng buong suporta ng pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng pondo (If we want to recover from the pandemic and rise from poverty, the government should provide them support through funding),” Escudero said.