Agri sector will always be a vital contributor to nat'l economy, Marcos says
The agriculture sector will always be crucial to the country's economic growth.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate)
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said this during the 125th anniversary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday, June 20, as he emphasized the need for agricultural development. “Agriculture is and will always be an important contributor to our national economy," Marcos said in his speech. The President cited that in the first quarter of 2023, the agriculture sector grew by 2.2 percent while contributing 9.1 percent to our total gross domestic product. He said that every analysis, including those from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB), show that a nation's economy will not prosper if the country's agriculture is not good. Marcos, who also serves as Agriculture Secretary, said that despite some modest gains, there are still several undertakings ahead to improve the sector through several programs and projects. He stressed that they need to pay attention to certain issues that hinder the agriculture sector's performance such as decreasing productivity, climate change, diminishing natural resources, and changes in the market. The chief executive also pointed out that the country must adopt and use the latest technologies and best practices that will not only boost the nation’s productivity and quality of life of Filipinos but “will also open more doors to investments and market opportunities for our friends from outside of the Philippines.” He further said that the DA will continue to come up with interventions to advance agri-fishery practices, improve the competitiveness of our agri-fishery products, and further boost the income of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. “Let us continue to engage in collaborative dialogue with experts, researchers, [and] rural workers to solve the roots of the lingering problems,” the President said. “Learn and adopt climate-resilient and cutting-edge agricultural technologies so that we can be prepared for prospective contingencies,” he added.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate)
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said this during the 125th anniversary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday, June 20, as he emphasized the need for agricultural development. “Agriculture is and will always be an important contributor to our national economy," Marcos said in his speech. The President cited that in the first quarter of 2023, the agriculture sector grew by 2.2 percent while contributing 9.1 percent to our total gross domestic product. He said that every analysis, including those from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB), show that a nation's economy will not prosper if the country's agriculture is not good. Marcos, who also serves as Agriculture Secretary, said that despite some modest gains, there are still several undertakings ahead to improve the sector through several programs and projects. He stressed that they need to pay attention to certain issues that hinder the agriculture sector's performance such as decreasing productivity, climate change, diminishing natural resources, and changes in the market. The chief executive also pointed out that the country must adopt and use the latest technologies and best practices that will not only boost the nation’s productivity and quality of life of Filipinos but “will also open more doors to investments and market opportunities for our friends from outside of the Philippines.” He further said that the DA will continue to come up with interventions to advance agri-fishery practices, improve the competitiveness of our agri-fishery products, and further boost the income of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. “Let us continue to engage in collaborative dialogue with experts, researchers, [and] rural workers to solve the roots of the lingering problems,” the President said. “Learn and adopt climate-resilient and cutting-edge agricultural technologies so that we can be prepared for prospective contingencies,” he added.