Estrada’s ‘Million Hectares, Million Jobs’ program gains wide support — Angara

Even the staunchest critics of President Estrada from the Makati Business Club (MBC) have committed to support the P3-billion project of the administration to put up the "One-Million Hectares, One-Million Jobs" agri-business program in the post-impeachment trial, newly installed Executive Secretary Edgardo Angara said yesterday.

Angara announced that President Estrada will formally launch next week in Isabela, Cagayan Valley the first pilot project of corn and cassava production which was officially unveiled during the weekly meeting of the Economic Coordinating Council (ECC) yesterday at Malacañang.

Angara said this agri-business project forms part of the food security program of the Estrada administration which will be implemented over the next two years.

"It‘s a two-year project that will automatically create one million jobs, for as a rule of thumb one-hectare creates at least one job in the countryside. We have the ready market, we have a ready buyer. This is going to be established not in Metro Manila but in the countryside and that should stimulate countryside business activity," Angara said.

"But beyond being bankable, we have prepared seed capital, venture capital of about P3 billion, it’s un-committed unutilized, we will use this as seed capital for those who will enter these venture," he pointed out.

Briefing Palace reporters at the end of the ECC meeting last Wednesday, Angara said the business leaders, some of whom belong to the MBC, have expressed their support for this project and committed to buy the corn and cassava which are principally used as feeds for poultry and livestock buisness of big food conglomerates like San Miguel Corp. (SMC),

"SMC is willing to buy almost any amount of corn and cassava. That’s how high the demand for corn and cassava is. It‘s not only San Miguel but also Purefoods of Ayala, Universal Robina of Mr. Gokongwei, Vitarich of Sarmiento, Gen. Milling Corp., Nestle, Dole Philippines and other big agri-business that have committed to buy the output of these projects," Angara said.

"In other words, there is no problem on marketing. It’s a ready-made market for the producers and thereby makes the project bankable," he pointed out.

During the ECC meeting, Angara noted with satisfaction that the business leaders who attended expressed their support for this project of the Estrada administration. "They are all ready to participate in this one million hectare project," he said.

Present at the meeting were Placido Mapa of the Bankers Association of the Philippines; Miguel Varela of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI); Donald Dee of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines; Sergio Luis Ortiz of the Confederation of Philippine Exporters; Jimmy Tang of the Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCII); and the respective heads of the Canadian and other foreign business chambers.

Angara disclosed that President Estrada and the Cabinet have already identified and approved various areas around the country which have highly suitable soils for corn and cassava. He said these "idle" lands are mostly located in Mindanao, Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Samar.