Former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan pledged on Wednesday to address the challenges faced by the country’s food producers, drawing from his personal experience as a farmer.
In an interview on DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital program Straight Talk, Pangilinan highlighted the lack of support for farmers as a significant factor in the country’s struggle to achieve food security.
“I understand the problems in agriculture and food security. I’ve experienced firsthand how difficult it is to run a farm enterprise. It’s not easy — some years bring losses, others break even, and some are profitable,” Pangilinan said.
“I want to revisit these issues. How do we continue to develop solutions that ensure food security while raising farmers’ incomes?” he said.
According to Pangilinan, one of the major problems faced by farmers is the income gap, which he said contributes to the declining number of farmers in the country.
“Currently, the average age of farmers is around 57 due to the income gap. This is what Thailand, and Vietnam and China — both communist countries — have addressed,” he said.
“They focused on interventions to improve income. That’s how you keep farmers from abandoning their land and selling them,” Pangilinan explained.
Citing Republic Act 11321 or the Sagip Saka Act, Pangilinan said young Filipinos might see a brighter future in farming with assistance from the government.
He noted that the measure, which he principally authored in 2019, allows the government to buy directly from farmers and fisherfolk organizations, associations and individuals.
“The government will be able to save more money if they will buy directly from our farmers. This will also help farmers earn more money instead of selling their crops to the traders,” he noted.
“When the farmers earn more money, it goes back to the local economy. The sari-sari stores, the transportation sector, and other establishments such as banks will also benefit due to the higher purchasing power of the farmers,” he said.
He continued: “So that law, I believe, will make farming more viable.”
Pangilinan gave Sorsogon as an example of how the government can help the farming industry by directly procuring the crops of local farmers.
He noted that the local government of Sorsogon bought palay from rice farmers at P20 per kilo, which is almost twice the price of the palay they sold to traders at P13.
He pointed out the move resulted in traders procuring farmers’ crops at higher prices, which was a major win for the farmers.
Pangilinan, who is eyeing a comeback to the Senate next year, said he would focus on crafting more measures that would address food security.