Understanding The Real Safety Net For Rice Farmers, BusinessWorld

Calixto V Chikiamco has written a long essay on "The Real Safety Net For Rice Farmers" (29 September 2019, BusinessWorld, bworldonline.com), 1,500 plus words – but I think it is notlong enough. Mr C fails to consider that farmers are not looking for what columnists are looking for, for them; for instance, they are looking for what Mr C fails to mention Sustainability.

"1. A number of rice farmers will never be competitive."

Mr C does not begin with a desired future for the farmers but the problematic present, what is there. The present is immovable.

"2. The government is incompetent when it comes to making rice farmers productive, especially in the near-term."

Mr C has studied past Secretaries of Agriculture, maybe, but not this one. And yes, I am sure, Mr C is one of the hundreds of experts who are in paradigms lost! I mean he does not know how many paradigms William Dar brought into the office to assist him intellectually as Secretary. (I have written a literal-literary 269-page book of 79 short essays entitled, in Paradigms Lost, in Paradigms Regained; anyone can email me for a free copy: frankahilario@gmail.com.) Mr C is in paradigms lost now; he can be saved in paradigms regained.

"The government is incompetent…" Such unkind words! For instance, did Mr C know that when William Dar was Secretary of Agriculture before, he recorded the highest aggie growth in Philippine history?

9.6%! Mr C, this government is competent!

"3. Increasing or even doubling the tariff rates is not a safety net."

"4. It’s not acceptable, either, to go back to a status quo ante."

I will skip 3. and 4. now but I will come back later.

"5. There is no denying that a number of rice farmers will lose their present livelihood."

If so, the government will not twiddle its thumb or look the other way.

"6. Therefore, a number of rice farmers cannot remain rice farmers forever."

That does not matter, Mr C. In fact, that should be part of The Big Plan!

"7. If the government cannot provide the safety net, who will?"

Now it's time to tackle what Mr C thinks is the safety net and what I think it should be.

Mr C says, "The real safety net is to get agribusiness farms to expand and absorb the displaced farmers."

No Sir! The real and the best safety net for the farmers is for each farm family to become:

1. Productive

2. Competitive.

3. Profitable.

4. Resilient.

5. Sustainable.

And no, I am sure Mr C has not studied those 5 that William Dar calls The Five Way Test ("There Is Hope For PH Agriculture – Last of 3 Parts" (22 August 2019, manilatimes.net). He was already Secretary when he wrote that Manila Times column.

Tariff rates and whatever are not so much a problem when we have the real thing:

The real safety net for rice farmers is to become what William Dar knows they want to be! They just need someone to articulate for them.@517