(MANILA BULLETIN)

Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte has proposed a measure that seeks to encourage young Filipinos to pursue a career in the agriculture by providing them with a variety of incentives. 

Duterte recently filed House Bill (HB) No. 9329 or the proposed Magna Carta of Young Farmers. 

The bill aims to protect the rights of young farmers as key contributors to the country’s food security. 

The congressman said on Friday, Dec. 15, that the bill “prioritizes the rights of young farmers to land, technical training, access to seeds and farm inputs, and assistance on product and market linkage and development". 

The measures provide young farmers equal access to education and training through scholarships and linkages with state universities and colleges (SUCs). 

Under HB No. 9329, a young farmer is defined as an “individual whose primary source of income comes from agriculture, with an age range of 15-35 years old". 

The young farmer can be the owner, worker, tenant, or lessee of the land, which he or she personally cultivates and tills. 

“With Filipino farmers getting older with each passing day, our country may soon face a critical shortage of food producers in the next 12 years. We need fresh, young minds to revitalize our agriculture sector and turn it into a main economic growth driver,” Duterte said. 

Citing data from a 2020 University of the Philippines (UP) study, Duterte said that the Filipino farmer’s average age is 53 years old. 

This concerning trend is only exacerbated by the continued downturn of employment in the entire agriculture sector. 

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the agriculture sector, which includes agriculture, forestry, fishing, and aquaculture industries, had its share of total employment fall from 24.5 percent (9.7 million) in October 2020 and 24.6 percent (10.77 million) in October 2021 to 22.5 percent (10.60 million) during the same month in 2022. 

To further motivate young Filipinos to find their career path in agriculture, Duterte’s measure will ensure young farmers equal access to technology, credit, and capital, as well as information on policies, programs, subsidies, and funding outlays that affect them, aiming to boost their productivity and push them to innovate. 

This will also include young farmers being exempt from paying all taxes on transactions including, but not limited to, the purchase, inheritance, and donation of land of one hectare or below. 

Under the bill, a National Young Farmers Council shall also be created, which will act as an advisory, recommendatory, and consultative body to ensure the success of the Department of Agriculture's (DA) programs and activities for young farmers. 

The proposed Magna Carta also seeks to institutionalize young farmers' representation in various decision-making and agricultural policy-making bodies initiated by the government and private sector. --Dexter Barro II