Agriculture is dying in the Philippines
AS A MATTER OF FACT - Sara Soliven De
Guzman (The Philippine Star) - June 18,
2018 - 12:00am
Agriculture is dying. This is a sad reality of the country.
Agricultural land is being developed into industrial areas, shopping malls
and subdivisions. Farmers are growing old and their children have shifted
into other careers. The agriculture industry has not progressed in ages.
Many of our agricultural schools are producing office-oriented workers who
would much rather do paper work than help improve the agricultural sector
of the country. Not to mention the many horror stories of corruption at the
Department of Agriculture.
Even if the Philippines is primarily an agricultural country, we have not done
anything to ‘cultivate’ this sector. In the sixties, we were ahead in Asia.
Students from different countries came here to study agriculture and its
technology. But what happened? They are now better than us. Somehow,
we lost in the race.
Yes, we have been blessed with different kinds of bodies of water, lands
that are lush and fertile, and a climate that is favorable in growing various
kinds of high valued crops and raising livestock, poultry and other farm
animals. But due to economic industrialization, this industry has been
challenged. Our priorities have changed almost forgetting our fundamental
need for survival. And according to reports, the agricultural sector employs
only 25.96 percent of the Filipino workers as of November 2017. This is very
low compared to many countries who prioritize and give more importance to
it.
Agriculture plays an important role in the country’s economy. This is
measured as the value added of the agricultural sector as percent of GDP.
According to the World Bank data from 1960 to 2016, the average value for
the Philippines during the period was 21.36 percent with a minimum of 9.65
percent in 2016 and a maximum of 31.06 percent in 1974. This shows a sad
truth that the percent of GDP (value added) contributed from the agriculture
sector continues to decrease. Although people still think of the Philippines
, as an agricultural economy, strictly speaking, and based on the data, this is
not the case.
The farmers lack support, training and a moral boost. First, they lack basic
skills in farming. Many are not educated or are only elementary graduates.
Second, good fertilizers, pesticides and seeds are imported from other
countries, making them very expensive and unaffordable for the lowly
farmer. Third, the government has not developed a good infrastructure for
farmers (i.e. farm-to-market roads, irrigation system, drying facilities and
milling centers, etc.). Fourth, most of our farmers do not own the land they
till. They cannot maximize the use of the land that results in low income.
And since they are just tenants, some landowners require a 50-50 share of
the product, thus leaving only half of the produce to the farmers. Fifth,
farmers have difficulty in financing their farming endeavors due to the high
rates of borrowing institutions. And when harvest time arrives, the money
from the sale is only enough to pay their debts and nothing is left for them.
Sixth, farmers lack protection from the middlemen who take advantage of
their weaknesses. The middlemen buy their products at a very low cost and
the Department of Agriculture always seems to be turning a blind eye on
these culprits.
During the Innovation Olympics 2018 held at the 8 Waves Resorts in
Bulacan last April, East-West Seeds Philippines general manager Henk
Hermans said that farmers represent the second poorest sector in the
country. This has resulted in the young people’s disenchantment in pursuing
a career in agriculture. He noted that the average age of Filipino farmers is
57-59 years old and therefore there is a great need to encourage the youth
to engage in crop production to ensure the country’s food security. He also
pointed out that our farming practices are outdated, and majority of the
farmers are reluctant to use modern technology in farming, making their
work labor intensive and unsustainable.
The government has recognized the declining contribution of the agricultural
sector in the country’s GDP and this drop in its performance is attributed to
its vulnerability towards extreme weather events (drought and typhoons),
infestations (coconut scale insects), and poor adoption of high-yielding
varieties at the end of the farmers. The restricted crop production
diversification of farms particularly concentrating on rice, corn, and
AS A MATTER OF FACT - Sara Soliven De
Guzman (The Philippine Star) - June 18,
2018 - 12:00am
Agriculture is dying. This is a sad reality of the country.
Agricultural land is being developed into industrial areas, shopping malls
and subdivisions. Farmers are growing old and their children have shifted
into other careers. The agriculture industry has not progressed in ages.
Many of our agricultural schools are producing office-oriented workers who
would much rather do paper work than help improve the agricultural sector
of the country. Not to mention the many horror stories of corruption at the
Department of Agriculture.
Even if the Philippines is primarily an agricultural country, we have not done
anything to ‘cultivate’ this sector. In the sixties, we were ahead in Asia.
Students from different countries came here to study agriculture and its
technology. But what happened? They are now better than us. Somehow,
we lost in the race.
Yes, we have been blessed with different kinds of bodies of water, lands
that are lush and fertile, and a climate that is favorable in growing various
kinds of high valued crops and raising livestock, poultry and other farm
animals. But due to economic industrialization, this industry has been
challenged. Our priorities have changed almost forgetting our fundamental
need for survival. And according to reports, the agricultural sector employs
only 25.96 percent of the Filipino workers as of November 2017. This is very
low compared to many countries who prioritize and give more importance to
it.
Agriculture plays an important role in the country’s economy. This is
measured as the value added of the agricultural sector as percent of GDP.
According to the World Bank data from 1960 to 2016, the average value for
the Philippines during the period was 21.36 percent with a minimum of 9.65
percent in 2016 and a maximum of 31.06 percent in 1974. This shows a sad
truth that the percent of GDP (value added) contributed from the agriculture
sector continues to decrease. Although people still think of the Philippines
, as an agricultural economy, strictly speaking, and based on the data, this is
not the case.
The farmers lack support, training and a moral boost. First, they lack basic
skills in farming. Many are not educated or are only elementary graduates.
Second, good fertilizers, pesticides and seeds are imported from other
countries, making them very expensive and unaffordable for the lowly
farmer. Third, the government has not developed a good infrastructure for
farmers (i.e. farm-to-market roads, irrigation system, drying facilities and
milling centers, etc.). Fourth, most of our farmers do not own the land they
till. They cannot maximize the use of the land that results in low income.
And since they are just tenants, some landowners require a 50-50 share of
the product, thus leaving only half of the produce to the farmers. Fifth,
farmers have difficulty in financing their farming endeavors due to the high
rates of borrowing institutions. And when harvest time arrives, the money
from the sale is only enough to pay their debts and nothing is left for them.
Sixth, farmers lack protection from the middlemen who take advantage of
their weaknesses. The middlemen buy their products at a very low cost and
the Department of Agriculture always seems to be turning a blind eye on
these culprits.
During the Innovation Olympics 2018 held at the 8 Waves Resorts in
Bulacan last April, East-West Seeds Philippines general manager Henk
Hermans said that farmers represent the second poorest sector in the
country. This has resulted in the young people’s disenchantment in pursuing
a career in agriculture. He noted that the average age of Filipino farmers is
57-59 years old and therefore there is a great need to encourage the youth
to engage in crop production to ensure the country’s food security. He also
pointed out that our farming practices are outdated, and majority of the
farmers are reluctant to use modern technology in farming, making their
work labor intensive and unsustainable.
The government has recognized the declining contribution of the agricultural
sector in the country’s GDP and this drop in its performance is attributed to
its vulnerability towards extreme weather events (drought and typhoons),
infestations (coconut scale insects), and poor adoption of high-yielding
varieties at the end of the farmers. The restricted crop production
diversification of farms particularly concentrating on rice, corn, and
