Boosting agriculture self-sufficiency will be critical in lowering costs of doing business in the country and creating a more stable business climate, opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero said.
He reminded that the poorest families belong to the agricultural sector. Some 40 percent of our labor force is directly dependent on agriculture. Another 20 percent are indirectly dependent.
The average Filipino household spends about 52 percent of its income on food while the average Malaysian or Thai household spends only 34 percent for the same items.
"By lowering their expenditure on food the government would be awarding every family with an increase in disposable income, and mitigate labor demands for wage increases," Escudero believes. With increased income, it is expected the country’s business environ ment will have a big boost.
Escudero also called for an increase in the budget for agricultural research and development to 5 percent of agricultural production which stands at about P1.7 trillion.
This, he said, would bring about better varieties and more efficient farming methods which would increase yields and give the farmer higher incomes even while farmgate prices go down to benefit the consumer.
At the same time, Escudero said there is an urgent need to supply post harvest facilities to rice farmers.
"Our rice farmers lose as much as 20 percent of their palay harvest with the use of antiquated threshing and drying methods. If we could save only half of that or 10 percent, there would be no need for rice importation. We might even end up with a surplus," Escudero stressed. /MP
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