Obstacles Vs Opportunities To PH Agriculture – Fictionist F Sionil Jose Sees One, Science Writer Frank A Hilario Sees The Other

F Sionil Jose and Frank A Hilario are only 1 town apart in origin, fictionist from Rosales and science writer from Asingan in Eastern Pangasinan. And yet looking at the same scene, one sees a sunset, the other sees a sunrise!

It’s in the perspective. Mr Jose writes, “William Dar And Our Food Insecurity[1],” looking at such as “actually this country’s most serious (problem).”

He equates our failure to produce enough rice for the Filipinos as “food insecurity” – which is incorrect. While we may be the #1 importer of rice in the world, food security means we just have to produce enough income to import the food that we lack.

Thus the new PH Agriculture slogan, “Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita” (Bountiful Harvests and Bounteous Income, my translation). Public & private partners are to help Filipino farmers produce rice at the least cost, and sell at the best price.

Mr Jose makes 5 specific points:

1) Our arable land… is about twice that of Japan but we produce less rice than the Japanese.

That is why, my dear Mr Jose, Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie has come up with his “New Thinking for Agriculture” with 8 converging paradigms designed to bring prosperity to farmers and fishers; and these are:

(1) Modernization

(2) Industrialization

(3) Promotion of exports

(4) Consolidation of small- and medium-sized farms

(5) Infrastructure development

(6) Higher budget & investment

(7) Legislative support

(8) Roadmap development.

We continue with Mr Jose’s list:

2) There is not enough land now to distribute…

The incontrovertible fact is that land ownership has never guaranteed economic use of land. That is why Manong Willie has in his list #4: “Consolidation of small- and medium-sized farms.” And the most dramatic proof that farm consolidation favors all participants is the world-renown success of Dalisay Rice in Leyte, of which I have written: “Dalisay Rice Revolution – PH Rice Farmer Leaders Raising Hell, Brave Lady Raising Hopes[2]” (19 November 2019, Ammom, Pilipinas).

3) Farm work is still tedious and the children of farmers leave the farm for more comfortable and financially profitable jobs.

Not anymore Sir, with so many farm tools and equipment, from seeder to combine harvester. Our farmers never had it so good when it comes to technologies & systems that minimize costs and maximize returns!

4) Irrigation: In so many countries in the world farm production improves only with massive irrigation projects.

Sir, where it is available, there is so much wasted irrigation water in the Philippines! And yes, we can raise rice and other crops with hardly any irrigation water at all.

5) And finally, although this is beyond William Dar’s responsibility, the undiminished poverty in the rural areas has been the primary recruiting appeal for the rebel movement.

Exactly why public & private partnerships in the new PH Agriculture are encouraged to work out with farmers good entrepreneurship to receive their just rewards.

The Ultimate Sunrise?
Poverty Emancipation!@517

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[1] https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2020/03/16/2001207/william-dar-and-our-food-insecurity?fbclid=IwAR2--SICXySM9f_ih23XbE7m6vZUVkoi5JWxJ8uRO90IcSzVIzxlZ2ftkso

[2] https://ammompilipinas.blogspot.com/2019/11/dalisay-rice-revolution-ph-rice-farmer.html