By Brian Campued
Reiterating his administration’s commitment to ensure food security in the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday highlighted continued investments in farm infrastructure, agrarian reform, wider crop insurance coverage, and expanded support to farmers and fisherfolk to strengthen the agricultural sector.
“Gayundin, ang ating sistema ng agrikultura ay pinapatatag natin upang magarantiya ang ating supply ng pagkain, at mapababa ang presyo nito para sa lahat,” President Marcos Jr. said in his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa.
“Ang sari-saring mga programa, tulad ng puhunan, farm inputs, kagamitan, kaalaman, pati na insurance, ay tumutulong sa mga magsasaka at mangingisda. Dala ito ng malakas na buhos ng suporta sa sektor, ang gumaganda at lumalawak na sakop ng imprastruktura at sistema ng irigasyon, at tumataas na antas ng mekanisasyon,” he added.
The President said that farmers and fisherfolk are now benefitting from modern farm technology, including around 145 rice processing systems, three big cold storage facilities, and nearly 40,000 machinery to raise farm productivity.
Approximately P19 billion-worth of indemnification through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation has also been released to help farmers and fisherfolk recover from the effects of natural calamities over the past four years.
“Ang insurance ay nagsisilbing mabisang panangga laban sa pagkalugi dala ng pagkawala o pagkasira sa hindi inaasahang pangyayari,” Marcos said, noting that crop insurance also covers animals, fisheries, equipment, facilities, and agricultural vehicles.
On agrarian reform, the President said the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has so far distributed 400,000 land titles to beneficiaries in the last four years, covering over 500,000 hectares of farmland.
Aside from granting farmers legal ownership to till their patches of land, the government has also issued hundreds of thousands of Certificates of Condonation and Release of Mortgage (COCROMs) to erase their unpaid amortizations and interest.
“Sa kabila ng mga ito, patuloy pa rin ang suporta ng DAR sa repormang agraryo, tulad ng irigasyon, mga daan, makinarya, at mga pautang para sa mga benepisyaryo nito,” President Marcos said.
The government has likewise sustained efforts to make rice more affordable through the Benteng Bigas Meron Na program despite global pressures on food and fuel costs.
Marcos said around 12 million Filipinos have gained access to P20/kg rice through 800 Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets nationwide.
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