Lorenzo vows continuing support for agri sector

Outgoing Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. said over the weekend that he will continue to help President Arroyo in spurring the growth and modernization of the farming and fisheries sectors.

Lorenzo is set to assume the chairmanship of the state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines and the Quedan Rural Credit and Guarantee Corp. while serving as Presidential Adviser for Countryside Development.

Lorenzo gave the assurance after the influential Makati Business Club (MBC) and several large farmer organizations expressed concern that Lorenzo’s exit could adversely affect the government’s agriculture modernization policies.

The MBC earlier said it "lamented the loss of the services of Secretary Lorenzo", saying he is an important player "in key policy agenda items of the President – jobs, food security and anti-poverty programs".

"It is difficult to comprehend why he has to leave the Cabinet when his programs rank among the President’s own top 10 list of objectives," the MBC said. The business leaders also pointed out that Lorenzo "has helped lead the agricultural sector to its highest growth rate in 15 years."

"Under his leadership, there was production growth in key agricultural crop sectors such as rice, sugar, corn and coffee," the MBC pointed out.

Reports have earlier indicated the country is expected to ink record levels in rice and corn harvests due to the promotion of hybrid rice and corn varieties. Rice production is expected to reach a record 14.28 million metric tons (MT) this year, up by six percent from last year’s 13.5 million MT level while corn harvest is expected to reach 5.5 million MT, an increase of up to 20 percent compared to last year‘s record of 4.6 million MT.

Farmer-leaders have also attributed the gains to the significant increase in the average per-hectare production in corn and rice farms following the introduction of modern crop varieties and sustained farmer support from the government during Lorenzo’s term.

Lorenzo assured both the MBC and the farmer groups that his new posts "provide opportunities for me to help the President design and implement policies and strategies that will encourage the growth of the sector and the creation of jobs in the countryside."

Lorenzo said he believes countryside development "will continue to be anchored on the modernization of the agricultural sector." The challenge, he said, is to raise the level of international competitiveness of the sector while protecting the aspiration of farm workers and preserving the riches of the country’s agri-aqua resources.

He also vowed "to advocate the opening up of more responsive credit facilities to the farming and fisheries sectors" and to help encourage the adoption of modern farming technologies to sustain agricultural productivity amid the decrease in the size of the country’s arable lands.

He said his new posts would also enable him to promote healthier dialogues between farmers and the national leadership. Farmer groups earlier underscored "the significant advantage of President Arroyo’s appointment of Lorenzo who is not only a policy and management expert, but also a modern farmer himself."

They expressed hope that the new Arroyo administration "would continue to tap managers with authentic farming experience so that policies and programs could remain responsive to the needs and aspirations of the food sector."