Government needs to pump more funds to the livestock industry owing to increased consumer demand, Senator Cynthia A. Villar said.
The constantly increasing demand for an animal protein associated with the increase in our population needs government support to intensify livestock production and secure the production and trade as well as to safeguard food security and the livelihood of farmers,” Villar said during a committee hearing by her Senate agriculture committee today.
She noted that the livestock industry had received limited attention and development assistance from the government with fiscal support averaging only P3.2 billion or 3.18 percent of the total budget for the Department of Agriculture (DA) from 2015 to 2020.
The hybrid committee hearing focused on several livestock-related bills filed by Senators Villar and Jose ‘’Jinggoy’’ Ejercito Estrada; Senator Manuel ‘’Lito’’ Lapid; and Juan Edgardo ‘’Sonny’’ M. Angara.
The measures by Villar and Estrada sought the establishment of a livestock, poultry, and dairy competitiveness enhancement fund; by Lapid which sought rhe establishment of livestock diagnostic laboratory; and by Senator Sonny M. Angara who sought the creation of a Philippine Native Animal Development Center.
Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino, on the other hand, called on DA officials to help improve the dairy industry and ensure that Filipino children have access to high-quality milk products.
Tolentino said that all efforts to alleviate the plight of the dairy industry should be welcomed.
"I was privileged to be the Cabinet-in-charge during the visit of the incumbent New Zealand Prime Minister during the last APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation). New Zealand has been known as the dairy country center and they have been providing us inputs before, but, I am surprised, we have yet to assimilate what New Zealand was trying to provide us," Tolentino said.
He added that during several trips to dairy centers and facilities in Nueva Ecija, South Cotabato and Albay, he observed that the country's milk production is still inadequate such that importation of milk products is still needed to meet the country's demand.
On the issue of high price of onion, Villar said there is a cartel that controls the supply of onions.
She said traders have a complete control of the purchase of onions from farmers at a very low price only to create a low supply situation that triggers high cost of the produce.
These traders are the same importers of onions, thus creating a stranglehold on the supply of onions, she revealed.
The lady lawmaker also said that all DA officials have to use to protect Filipino farmers is ‘’common sense,’’ not a doctorate degree.
She questioned the mindset of DA officials favoring importation, not the interest of farmers who bring home only P5,000 a month for their labor.
Compare this to an entry level pay at the Senate which is P50,000 a month, she pointed out.