Senator Cynthia Villar (Senate PRIB)


Senator Cynthia Villar cited the need to promote high-value crop production after noting that the country’s agricultural sector was still hampered by limited diversity and low productivity. She said there have only been a few successful high-value agribusinesses in the country in the last 28 years. Since the implementation of RA No.7900, or the High-Value Crops Development Act of 1995, Villar conceded that ‘’we still have a long way to go to reach our goals". Villar is the chairperson of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee. Speaking during the 28th Anniversary of the High-Value Crops (HVC) implementation, Villar said the law was passed to give an opportunity to diversify crop production and promote the development of agribusiness value chain. “High-value crops refer to crops that have defined regular or niche market or has potential domestic and/or export markets, or command high prices, whether in fresh or processed form,” she stressed. “High-value crops provide higher net returns per hectare or crops that have competitive returns on investments,” she added. But after 28 years, she lamented that ‘’We are yet to achieve fully high-value crops or the non-traditional crops.’’ Villar said ‘’We need organic farming also  to manage waste and bring down input cost.’’ According to the senator, she has 89 composting facilities in Las Piñas through their Villar Sipag Foundation and 50 nationwide through their company, Vista Land. Each facility produces a ton of compost a month or a total of 139 tons which are given for free to farmers and gardeners nationwide. “The National High-Value Crops Program has been with me in promoting composting. They have been distributing shredders and composting machines thru the Bureau of Soils and Water Management to farmers to process their kitchen, garden, and farm waste to improve soil fertility to correct the degradation of our soils,’’ Villar said. Villar emphasized that she has been promoting Home and School Vegetable Gardening in Las Piñas even before the pandemic. “During the pandemic until now, I do it nationwide. Vegetables are efficient to generate cash even from a small plot of land in a short period of time and help farmers to improve their livelihood. In urban areas I have been encouraging community gardens,” she added.