After his two-hour meeting with agriculture officials on Monday, July 18, President and Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. said his administration is prioritizing the strengthening of the ‘farm-to-market road’ programs and projects that will help the country’s agricultural sector.
“Prayoridad sa ating plano para sa agrikultura ay ang pagpapatibay ng programang ‘farm-to-market road’ at pagsusulong ng mga proyektong makakatulong sa ating mga kababayan sa sektor ng agrikultura (A priority in our plan for agriculture is to fortify the ‘farm-to-market road’ programs and the promotion of projects that will help our countrymen in the agricultural sector),” Marcos said on Twitter.
“Titiyakin natin na may sapat at abot-kayang pagkain para sa lahat (We will ensure that there is ample and affordable food for all),” he added.
According to the agriculture department, farm-to-market road projects improve the mobility of goods, services, and the general public. These facilities serve as links for better access to basic social services such as health centers, schools, and areas for employment.
Marcos, meanwhile, did not further elaborate what are the steps that his administration will take to achieve such in the country.
The tweets of the President were accompanied by photos during his meeting with agriculture officials.
In an ambush interview, Agriculture Undersecretary-designate for consumer and political affairs Kristine Evangelista told reporters that Marcos has ordered a "thorough assessment" of the existing programs of the agriculture department.
"Right now, there's a very thorough assessment of the program DA already has because we have to see which one of them actually works, which one has to be tweaked, and which one needs further consultation with the stakeholders. So 'yun po ang mga utos din po ng ating mahal na Presidente so he could come up with programs again based on the thrust of increasing production and making agricultural commodities affordable," she said after the closed-door meeting.
On July 4, Marcos had a closed-door meeting with officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA). He told them to ensure there is sufficient and affordable food in the country.
The President also noted that the country needs to increase its production of rice, corn, and fish to have an ample supply of food such as livestock.