WHEN the Philippines joined the race to become industrialized several decades ago, it was at the expense of agriculture. The thinking then was that progressive countries must be industrialized, and that being an agricultural economy was being backward.

We now know that was a mistake. We forgot that the United States, one of the most industrial powers in the world, is also one of the world’s biggest agricultural producers. Today, as in the past, it still feeds the world. And closer to home, Australia and New Zealand are among the wealthiest countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and both are agricultural economies.

The World Bank now has to appeal to China to release some of its surplus rice stocks to help ease the global food shortage, which has added an estimated 105 million to the world’s poor.

Yes, indeed, it’s the agriculture sector in these countries that has given them a big advantage amid the current global food prices. Like most oil-consuming countries, they are affected by the accompanying oil-price crisis, but they have the comfort of knowing their people will not run out of food.

The rice crisis that hit the Philippines puts to light the sad and ironic situation in our agriculture sector. It is sad because we have more than enough resources to produce our food requirements, and even to export some; and ironic because we were the source of the best rice seedlings and technology, and yet we have to import rice from our former students. In the world market, we are now being blamed for boosting rice prices because of our huge import tenders.

Is it time to cry and lament our misfortune in our small corner of the world? No! Rather, it is time for us to regain our position as a leading agricultural producer in this part of the world!

I was heartened by the enthusiastic reaction to my previous columns wherein I first mentioned the term “renaissance” of the Philippine agriculture sector. The letters I received from farmer organizations supporting my position serve as an encouragement for me to lobby, not just for the revival of agriculture, but to give it a bigger role in our economic development than in the past.

Given the present sad state of conditions in the agriculture sector, an agricultural renaissance cannot be done overnight. Thousands of coconut trees are already over a century old and not so productive, while others have been cut for lumber; rice fields are no longer cultivated because the inputs have become too costly for farmers; and there are hundreds of thousands of hectares of logged-over areas and other idle lands.

Just an inventory of our agriculture sector—the problems and deficiencies, as well as the resources—will take some time. Such an inventory, or assessment, must be done as a first step. Then this will be used as the basis in formulating a development program.

I am thinking of a time table of five to 10 years. Some people may say it’s too long, considering the present high prices of rice and other food products.

My proposal for an agricultural renaissance is not aimed at solving the current problem, which requires an immediate and short-term solution. As I said in a previous column, I am supporting short-term solutions like subsidies, provided these benefit those who really need them, and I mean the poor households.

Of course, subsidies and other short-term solutions are just short-term measures. They would be too costly to implement on a long-term basis, and they do not solve the problem of inadequate production.

The problem of inadequate production will be addressed by a long-term program that will increase output from existing and new farms, so that when another crisis hits the global food markets, the Philippines will no longer be in a position that it finds itself these days.

I am proposing a grand strategy to revive agriculture and develop it as a major growth driver for our economy, as important as, if not more important than, the services and industry sectors, which need continuing support.

What I’m saying is that developing any sector of the economy should not be at the expense of another sector. All three must be significant contributors to economic growth.

What makes agricultural development nobler is the fact that this sector accounts for the majority of our population. At the same time, the rural poor also account for the bulk of Filipino families living below the poverty threshold. Raising agriculture to a higher level in the economic hierarchy, thus, accomplishes another objective: alleviating poverty.

I will discuss some components of my proposed grand strategy for agricultural renaissance in succeeding columns. But this will not be just talking the walk. I mean to put it on top of my legislative agenda in the new regular session of Congress.

One Response to “A grand strategy for agriculture”

• 1
  Mike
  July 14th, 2008 23:26

  This is really a good idea. If the agriculture sector will improve, Filipinos in abroad, like me, will start to think of going back home and invest in agriculture. I hope the government gives enough time and focus on these measures as this will truly improve the economy and eventually the lives of many Filipinos.

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