News

PGMA creates FIELDS for aggie sector food production drive
by Ma. Eloisa E. Hernandez

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo officially announced her administration's new food production drive for the agriculture sector clustered into six assistance packages. The program has been dubbed FIELDS, with each letter standing for Farmers, Irrigation, Education and training of farmers and fisherfolk, Loans, Dryers and other postharvest facilities, and Seeds of high-yielding hybrid varieties.

“We are going to cluster our food production drive in six assistance packages, which are the essential ingredients in making food abundant accessible and affordable,” the Chief Executive said.

The President's P43.7 B package under the FIELDS program will cover the following:

• P500 million for fertilizer support from the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF), with special focus on the use of organic fertilizers;
• P6 billion for rehabilitation of all irrigation systems that need to be repaired or rehabilitated by 2010;
• P6 billion for farm-to-market roads and other rural infrastructure such as roll-on roll-off (RORO) ferry ports and no frills airports for agricultural cargo;
• P5 billion for continuous training of farmers on new technologies and research and development (R&D) in order to increase yields and lower production costs. This includes a budget earmarked for R&D, and a portion each for capacity building programs, trainers' training, and the agriculture and fisheries education system;
• P15 billion allotted in credit for farmers, fisherfolk and other small rural borrowers;
• P2 billion for dryers and other postharvest support such as storage facilities; and
• P9.2 billion for hybrid and certified seed production and subsidies until 2010. The target is to plant certified seeds in 600,000 hectares in 2008 and hybrid seeds in 900,000 hectares over the 2009-2010 period.

President Arroyo announce the program at the National Food Summit held at Fontana Convention Center, Clark Airbase on 5 April 2008 in consonance with her agenda “Pagkain sa Bawat Mesa, Negosyo sa Sakahan-Laban sa Kahirapan”. The summit aimed to fine-tune the government's rural development thrusts until 2010.

Central issues during the summit were focused on the five commodity clusters, namely: rice, corn, high-value commercial crops (HVCC), livestock and poultry.

The summit capped the two-month series of sectoral and regional consultations conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA) aimed at attaining the long-term goal of national self-sufficiency in rice, corn, and other food crops benefiting consumers; boost agricultural exports; and make farming more profitable.

In a press statement, Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap considered the regional consultations as necessary tool for the DA to consolidate the main agriculture-related issues and concerns at the national and local levels and later on identify intervention measures, including food-sufficiency initiatives and budgets needed to keep the farm sector on its high growth course in the medium term.

The program supports DA's five developmental pillars, namely: market access, postharvest, research, development and extension (RDE); irrigation; and credit facilities.

During the summit, rice leaders and other commodity subsectors presented their respective recommendations to the President and to the Secretary on improving the productivity and profitability of the agriculture and fisheries sector.

Strongly supportive of the President's FIELDS are the Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization Inc. (Philfoodex), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Maize Federation (PHILMAIZE), Philippine Association of Broiler Integrators, Philippine Fishing Federation, and Philippine Vegetable Council.

During the summit, the President and the Secretary led the send-off for a 55-truck caravan containing truckloads of rice, vegetables, chicken, eggs, fruits, and other foodstuff to be distributed to DA's bagsakan or drop-off centers in Metro Manila.