Its counterpart in the vernacular is “naghihingalo,” and that’s quite possibly what Agriculture Secretary William Dar hears from the mouths of farmers whom he comes into contact with in the course of his visits to farming areas throughout the country.
“Naghihingalo,” or its meaning in English, “gasping for breath,” is an apt description of the state of Philippine agriculture today, according to Secretary Dar, and it’s not the fault of the farmers themselves.
The sad state of agriculture in the country at present is clear in the 0.3 percent decline in the value of agricultural production for the first quarter of 2022, partly due to the global supply chain disruption as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Crops posted a -1.6 percent decline in production volume; livestock, -1 percent; and fisheries -5.8 percent, with only poultry production volume staying in positive territory at 12.3 percent.
The problem lies in the lack of ample budgetary support by government for the agricultural sector, Dar believes, and the solution lies in giving a neglected and underbudgeted sector enough wherewithal to survive hard times.
After all, if food security is deemed important for the nation’s well-being, then farmers should be given all the support they need — from seeds, fertilizers and pesticides to credit, post-harvest facilities and farm-to-market roads — so they can increase productivity, earn enough from dawn-to-dusk toil to keep body and soul together and improve their standards of living over time.
Gasping for breath is what happens to those afflicted with severe COVID-19, as we’ve been made well aware by the ongoing pandemic. Doctors use a mechanical ventilator to resuscitate the lungs and save the patient from certain death.
By the same token, Dar wants the government to save the agricultural sector through the P2.5-trillion National Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization and Industrialization Plan (NAFMIP) 2021-2030 which seeks to spur its growth in the coming years.
The plan seeks to allot at least a P250 billion budget annually for agriculture for 10 years, for a total of P2.5 trillion. The fisheries sector targets a budget of P12 billion, triple its current budget of P4 billion.
NAFMIP is touted as the most comprehensive development blueprint for the agriculture sector since the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997.
For the Agriculture department, it is nothing less than “a strategic plan that defines the directions, strategies, and priorities in developing and growing Philippine agriculture with the objective to transform and unlock the potential of Philippine agriculture.”
And here’s the clincher: “Investing in our farmers and fisherfolk is investing in a future of economic growth and prosperity for all Filipinos.”
We agree completely, and hope the incoming administration
will give agriculture and fisheries the priority they deserve in the government’s overall program for economic growth and development in the next six years.
