Agriculture sector ”resilient” despite coronavirus pandemic: Dar

September 9, 2020

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the country’s farming and fisheries sector has been in a critical stage even before the coronavirus pandemic but has remained'' resilient'' during the crisis.

"In fact, even before the pandemic, the country’s farming and fisheries sector has been in a 'critical' stage, as shown by its erratic growth in previous decades," Dar said during the virtual launching of the World Bank’s report on “Transforming Philippine Agriculture: During COVID-19 and Beyond.”

"There is low farm productivity, lack of value-adding, as well as very few alternative sources of income not related to farming and fishing. The Philippine Statistics Authority said the country’s rural poverty incidence remains high, at 30 percent," he said.

"At this juncture of our history when the world battles a pandemic that has not only claimed millions of lives, but is also paralyzing social and economic activities I cannot overemphasize the need for all of us in the agriculture and rural development sector to  unite and keep agriculture going to ensure nutritious and affordable food for our people and increased incomes for our farmers and fishers," he added.

Dar said that "with the advent of climate change, increased global competition, and Covid-19 pandemic, the more Filipino farmers, fisherfolk and agripreneurs become most vulnerable, making them less food-secure and less able to compete."

"The magnitude of our responses must therefore match the scale of these challenges," he said.

"They should be comprehensive, science-based, inclusive and innovative to allow us build efficient and resilient food production and distribution systems to feed our growing population, now and in the future," he added.

Dar said the World Bank's report highlights importance of the "transformation of Philippine agriculture into a dynamic, high-growth sector."

"It is the surest way if we are to speed up our economic recovery from the pandemic and achieve a meaningful poverty-reduction and inclusive growth," he said.

"We are thankful that despite the social paralysis and economic slowdown the pandemic has wrought, the agriculture sector remains resilient, even growing a quite surprising 1.6 percent in the second quarter," he added.

Dar also recognized the DA's Plant, Plant, Plant program and Survive, Reboot, and Grow strategy, "which since the start of the community quarantine have been part of the DA’s Food Security Development Framework and way forward under the new normal."

"Our goal is a country that is food-secure and resilient, where farmers and fisherfolk are empowered and enjoy better incomes and a higher standard of living," he said.

"That is why we are working doubly hard to empower our farmers, fisherfolk, and agripreneurs to raise their agricultural productivity and profitability, while ensuring greater sustainability and resilience from disasters climate change impacts, and pandemics," he added.

Dar expressed confidence that the World Bank's report "will provide the DA, as well as other agents and champions of rural development, with valuable lessons and comprehensive analysis of the Plant, Plant, Plant program and related interventions and initiatives to sustain the growth, modernization and industrialization of Philippine agriculture."

"We hope World Bank will continue to support our future endeavors, in addition to the ongoing the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) that has become one of the best examples of successful multi-sectoral, multi-level partnerships," he said. Robina Asido/DMS