Loren calls for coordinated efforts to respond to impending crises in agriculture sector

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, 01 FEB 2010 - SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA CALLED ON THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (DA) TO STRENGTHEN ITS COORDINATION WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS AND PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS IN DEALING WITH AN IMPENDING WATER SHORTAGE ARISING FROM THE EL NINO PHENOMENON NOW AFFECTING THE COUNTRY.

Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization and the Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change said the DA should make good use of the rehabilitation fund Congress allotted last year after Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng hit the Philippines and devastated irrigation facilities many of which were beyond repair.

Congress approved a P12-billion unprogrammed fund for rehabilitation of the damages of Ondoy and Pepeng, including damages in crops, livestock and fisheries. The DA proposed P4.9 billion out of the amount for damages in agriculture and realigned a total of P1.8 billion from its regular 2009 budget for the same purpose.

“These funds should be judiciously used. These funds will surely be useful this election season since these are rehab money but I hope the DA will ensure that every cent will be used to protect our farmers and fisherfolk in recovering losses from Ondoy and Pepeng and in preparing for El Niño,” Loren said.

The lady senator added we have to protect the agriculture sector from the ill effects of the El Nino phenomenon amid concerns that a severe drought might cause more than P10 billion in production losses.

The Department of Agriculture has recommended such measures as cloud seeding, improved water management in dams and reservoirs, and strengthening of shallow tube wells and communal irrigation programs complemented by a strong extension and credit programs that will enable farmers to buy production inputs such as high yielding seeds and fertilizers.

Legarda said that this highlights the need for better coordination among national government agencies like the DA, local government units, and private organizations, so that the interventions will have minimal leakages and really reach the target beneficiaries.

“Food security and farm productivity is a shared goal, therefore each sector has a stake in those goals. They should be mobilized to put up their counterpart contributions, pecuniary or otherwise.

Farmer organizations can contribute labor. Further, they should be active involved to increase transparency and accountability in all transactions, and to make sure resources are used according to the purpose for which they have been budgeted," Loren declared.

The current sugar situation is another case in point. Coordination is needed between government and the private sector. Production shortfalls primarily caused by heavy rains in India and Brazil have pushed world sugar prices to a 29-year high, nearly tripling in the past year.

This could have been a good profit opportunity, but the Philippines’ own supply of sugar has also been aggravated by climate change and land reform. Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines, says that the smaller sizes of sugar farms are no longer economical and efficient, leading sugar production to drop from three million tons per crop.

“Given the current situation, we have to provide strong public research and extension support to small producers. The Philippine system of research, development and extension for agriculture has a huge potential that is not being maximized because the network is outdated, and burdened with conflicting interests. We need to reconcile all those interests, and enable all to contribute to common goals: the Department of Agriculture, local government units and private organizations,” Loren said.

Via: http://lorenlegarda.com.ph/news_112_Loren_calls_for_coordinated_efforts_to_respond.php

Loren: Smuggling, imports will kill local agriculture

SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA CALLED TODAY FOR DECISIVE GOVERNMENT MOVES TO STOP UNABATED SMUGGLING AND UNCONTROLLED IMPORTATION OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND OTHER FARM PRODUCTS THAT COULD EVENTUALLY KILL LOCAL AGRICULTURE AND EXACERBATE POVERTY IN THE COUNTRY.

Loren cited the sad experience of vegetable growers, such as those producing onion and garlic, who have been deprived of their source of livelihood because of unfair competition posed by cheap onions and garlic from other countries, mainly from neighboring countries.

Loren lamented that growers of local fruits, such as lanzones, are feeling the pinch brought about by the unrestricted entry of imported fruits.

In coconut-producing provinces as Laguna and Quezon, the senator pointed out, farmers are also facing economic difficulties because of dwindling demand for coconut and coconut-based products, such as macapuno, because of stiff competition from cheaper imported products.

Loren said that corruption in the bureaucracy is responsible for large-scale smuggling that deprives the government of much-needed revenues that in turn keeps poverty in the country at very high levels.

Apart from corruption, the other problem that stunts the growth of local agriculture and industry is the government’s “unthinking commitment to globalization, or borderless trade, which at first glance is beneficial to the economy but on closer inspection may actually work at cross-purposes to our economic advance.”

Loren pointed out that while farmers in the developed countries are subsidized, Filipinos farmers are simply left to their own devices and face unfair competition from cheap products abroad dumped into the country from abroad.

Loren said that while the Philippines should respect and uphold its international commitments, such as to the World Trade Organization, it also has the responsibility to protect its own citizenry from unfair competition from abroad.

In the end, Loren said, “it’s all a matter of protecting the national interest.”

Via: http://lorenlegarda.com.ph/news_095_Loren_Smuggling_imports.php

Improve agriculture to curb hunger - Loren

THE GOVERNMENT MUST ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN ORDER TO STOP AND REVERSE THE SPREAD OF HUNGER AMONG FILIPINOS, SAID SEN. LOREN LEGARDA, CHAIR OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOOD AND AGRICULTURE.

She blamed graft and corruption and inefficiency for the failure of the government to properly implement laws promoting agriculture, such as the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA).

Loren cited reports of the Commission on Audit that indicate “that a lot of graft happens during the implementation of various programs such as the rice, corn and irrigation programs. We have spent years investigating the fertilizer scam. Clearly, the COA reports show that government resources have not been spent properly.”

Loren made the statement in commenting on the recent survey of the Social Weather Stations showing that the number of Filipinos who have experienced hunger in the past year had increased to 24 percent of the population.

“That means that 4.4 million households or approximately 20 million Filipinos have experienced hunger for lack of anything to eat in the past year,” Loren said.

“What we see is a failure of the implementation of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA). AFMA whose goal is food security clearly did not deliver and never in the years after it was signed into law in 1997,” declared Loren who is also the chair of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries.”

“Food insecurity has gotten worse. But then how can we expect it (AFMA) to deliver when it has not been properly implemented?” she asked.

“True, we have increased our support for farmers and fisherfolk judging from the budgets we have approved in support of the Department of Agriculture, particularly the GMA commodity programs. In the past few years that the budget for the DA has steadily been increasing, we have heard reports of increased productivity. Yet, these statistics have not effectively reduced food insecurity,” said Loren.

“We are also informed that we have been increasing our rice imports by the NFA (National Food Authority) to ensure sufficient supply. Yet again, apparently, this is not a solution to hunger. After all, according to a World Bank report, most of the NFA rice is sold to the non-poor rather than to the poor.

“Hence, it is important for the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM) to establish an efficient and timely monitoring system that scrutinizes the program,” she declared.

“We need to give more credence to the Commission on Audit (COA) reports and proceed from there. We need to identify the weak points and to put in place the appropriate policies to attain the goals of AFMA, particularly food security.

Loren said that the next administration should set a monitoring system that will be used by oversight agencies in both the executive and legislative branches of government in checking the performance of the DA and related agencies.

“I offer the monitoring system that my team in COCAFM is developing this time for use in the evaluation of current and future agriculture and fisheries program implementation. Whoever becomes President in 2010 should make use of it to fulfil AFMA goal of rationally allocating resources for the sector. ”, Loren said.

Source: http://lorenlegarda.com.ph/news_064_Improve_agriculture_to_curb_hunger.php

Loren, Pia seek budget for climate change

MANILA, Philippines—Senators Loren Legarda and Pia Cayetano Wednesday sought to recast next year’s proposed P1.541-trillion budget to make it more responsive to disaster mitigation and preparedness.

Both senators said deliberations on the General Appropriations Act of 2010, which will resume on Monday, should focus on giving more funds to programs that will help the country cope with the effects of climate change.

The Senate hopes to pass the budget before adjourning for the Christmas break.

Legarda wants funding for the Climate Change Act of 2009, which she authored. Signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Oct. 23, the act calls for the creation of a Climate Change Commission. It seeks the purchase of more pump boats and other rescue equipment; development of water-submersible crops; and improvement of local area disaster response operations. It also calls for steps to reduce carbon emissions and increase forest cover as risk reduction measures.

Cayetano, on the other hand, called for budget realignments to finance other pro-environment laws and programs.

Cayetano wants to reinstate the P2-billion slash in the proposed budget of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

In a statement, Cayetano, chair of the Senate committee on social justice, noted that the budget of the DENR had been reduced from P12.9 billion this year to only P10.7 billion in 2010.

The budget cut will affect, among others, existing programs such as watershed rehabilitation, cadastral surveys and biodiversity conservation, she said.

Capital outlays for forest restoration and the acquisition of modern equipment for pollution monitoring and geo-hazard mapping will also be affected, Cayetano said.

Cayetano also wants to see money allocated for the relocation of more than half a million squatters living around waterways in Metro Manila.

She said the government would need P3.2 billion annually in the next 10 years to build 22,689 social housing units to accommodate 545,000 households.

Both Legarda and Cayetano said the recent calamities brought on by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” and Typhoons “Pepeng” and “Santi” should serve as eye openers for the people and the government.

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Source:http://www.inquirer.net/propertyguide/aroundtown/view.php?db=1&article=20091105-234285

Protect RP Agri Sector From Unfair Trade

Senator Loren Legarda today warned that the Philippines is set to lose P100 from noncompetitive products if it concedes to the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) which will eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers for trade among ASEAN nations. She emphasized that the agriculture sector is especially vulnerable if said agreement is signed.

“While agriculture is recognized as the most vital industry to fight hunger and poverty, it is also the sector with the highest level of trade distortions. After we have suffered P18.4 billion in agriculture damage from Ondoy and Pepeng, we cannot afford to lose out further in our agriculture sector because of trade imbalance,” said Loren, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture.

Legarda stressed that the ATIGA should not come into full force without the ratification of the Senate, and that it should follow the constitution and the country’s laws.

“Before the Philippines concedes to this agreement, wider consultations should be done. With the Philippines being a primarily agricultural country, the sector contributes a fifth of our total GDP, providing jobs and support to tens of thousands of families, and almost one half of our labor force. It is a sector that must be protected because the livelihood of thousands of Filipino farmers depend on it,” she said.

Among the important concerns on the agreement is the lack of public consultations. It is required under Philippine tariff and customs laws, as well as under the setup of the Senate Committee on Trade that before negotiating a trade policy position, public hearings should be made so that the people could voice out their concerns over a pending trade agreement.

“We live today in an open trade regime where quality products at competitive prices are required to sell in the market. The farming sector needs safety nets to cushion it from the impact of liberalized trade in the agriculture sector,” said Legarda.

She pointed out that huge domestic support and export subsidies provided by developed countries to their farmers render developing countries' farm products uncompetitive.

“Contrary to WTO principles, advanced countries give their farmers huge subsidies, which developing countries cannot afford, thus creating an unfair playing field. The ATIGA will have an across-the-board impact on trade in agriculture if it is signed without first applying the necessary safety nets,” she said.

She added, “agriculture in developed countries is a big, integrated business. In addition, they are awash with subsidies from government. Developing countries like the Philippines simply cannot afford to provide its farmers the same subsidies that developed countries grant them. As a result of unfair trade, developing countries are inherent losers.”

ATIGA was endorsed by the AFTA Council in August 2008, and signed by its parties during the ASEAN Summit in February 2009.

“Free trade has not worked because it has never actually happened: trade agreements of the past have been neither free nor fair. They have been asymmetric, opening up markets of developing countries to goods from the advanced industrial countries without full reciprocation,” she said.

Source: http://www.lorenlegarda.com.ph/article-1256285928.html