President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered the geomapping of all agricultural lands in the country to establish soil maps for specific agricultural products.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Ali Vicoy)
This is to ensure increased yield and improve farmers’ income, Marcos said as he issued the order during a meeting with the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM) in Malacañang on Wednesday, May 31.
The President said the government is already using geomapping in resolving titling issues to boost agricultural production and increase the income of farmers.
He added that they have been using the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) maps in geomapping.
"We are putting together everything kasi mahirap naman ipa-survey lahat. So, para alam na natin yung mga areas and it started also with irrigation, sa NIA (because it is difficult to survey everything. So it is for us to determine the areas and it started with irrigation, with the National Irrigation Administration),” Marcos said.
“So from that, yung titling problem na sinasabi natin, magiging mas madali. But at least ma-define na natin yung mga parcels of land and, in that way, alam na natin. So, kung maalis na natin ang titling problem, mas madali na lahat (the tilting problem that we are talking about would be easier to resolve. But at least we could define the parcels of land and, in that way, we would know. If we are able to solve the tilting problem, every thing else will be easier)," Marcos added.
During the meeting, PRISM raised concerns such as high cost of rice production and limited market access, limited access to capital investment, adverse BIR policies, lack of extensive irrigation system and climate crisis-El Niño threat, and slow adoption of vital rice production technology.
It was also brought up that the unavailability and lack of access to real-time data, misaligned programs and activities across agri-related government agencies, inconsistent consultative meetings among the various rice stakeholders, and rice smuggling as among the identified roadblocks to higher productivity.
Existing government interventions addressing these concerns include the implementation of Farm and Fisheries Consolidation and Clustering program (F2C2), provision of various support services including credit and financing by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Land Bank of the Philippines, and establishment of climate-smart agriculture infrastructure.
It was disclosed that the government is also formulating the National Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization and Industrialization Plan in consultation with other stakeholders to guide the development of the agriculture and fisheries sectors.
It is also utilizing information technology to gather, analyze, and use data for food production such as the Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines or SARAI, and has been conducting regular meetings conducted by the National Convergence Initiative for Sustainable Rural Development.