Daily Tribune‘We wish Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. success and we hope he will listen to and act promptly on the concerns particularly of small farmers, municipal fishers and other disadvantaged members of the agricultural sector.’
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Various groups in the agriculture sector have sent the best of luck to newly appointed Secretary of Agriculture Francis Tiu Laurel Jr., expressing hopes that Laurel Jr. will listen to them, particularly their concerns in one of the country's problematic and challenged sectors.
In a statement, the Federation of Free Farmers said they welcomed the appointment of a full-time Secretary of Agriculture.
"We wish Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. success in his new position, and we are prepared to work closely with him. At the same time, we express the hope that he will listen closely to and act promptly on the concerns particularly of small farmers, municipal fishers and other disadvantaged members of the agricultural sector," the FFF official statement read.
Importation as a last resort
Also, Jayson Cainglet, executive director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura or SINAG, said they hope Secretary Laurel will live up to the expectations and directives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in supporting local production, boosting the local agri industries, and making importation only as a last resort and not his department's principal policy.
"We are also hoping to hear a firm commitment from the new DA secretary that he will support all proposals to reduce tariffs on all agricultural commodities. The challenges in the agricultural front are daunting but we can win by supporting and strengthening the local agriculture sector," according to Cainglet.
Cainglet said qualifications or merits are not guarantees of good performance, as previous DA secretaries, who even have "Ph.D. or claiming to be a farmer, but both failed miserably. Our judgment will rest on his performance as DA secretary. We wish him all the best and he can expect our full support."
Meanwhile, Meat Importers and Traders Association president emeritus Jesus Cham also stated that they welcomed the appointment of Laurel as the Secretary of Agriculture. Meanwhile, Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. president Felix Tiukinhoy Jr. said Laurel is "a proven and tested agribusiness entrepreneur. We are confident that he will be able to manage the agriculture portfolio efficiently and well."
"We in PAMPI congratulate and wish Secretary Laurel success in his new role as head of the Department of Agriculture," he added.
Tiukinhoy continued, "We hope that all sectors of agriculture provide him with needed advice and support to ensure that agriculture becomes a strong pillar of the national economy."
At the same time, the group assured its full support and cooperation to the DA under Secretary Laurel's watch.
An estimated 64 percent of the Philippine population, which accounts for 54.9 million Filipinos, are chronically food insecure, data showed.
One key reason is the country's limited options relative to other Asian countries that are net food exporters. The Philippines has the largest food trade deficit in the region, at about negative two percent of GDP in the past three years, according to a study by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"This number moves to negative five percent of GDP when adding in its fuel trade deficit. As it relies on imports from India and others for staples such as rice, the Philippines does not have tools, such as good protectionism, to help it through this crisis. Instead, it falls victim to other countries' food nationalism, as the squeeze on global supply impacts it most severely through shortages and higher prices," the study added.
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