Farmer groups cite aggie sector gains

Several large farmer organizations recently lauded the continuing increase in the country’s rice and corn harvests, saying the feat "has helped improve the lives of farmers and has created an estimated 1.77 million additional jobs in the countryside".

The groups cited an earlier report by Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. which showed that the country is expected to ink record levels in rice and corn harvests due to intensified farm support programs and the promotion of hybrid rice and corn varieties.

Lorenzo reported that rice production is expected to reach a record 14.28 million metric tons (MT), up by six percent from last year’s 13.5 million MT level. 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.

Mindanao farmer leader Butch Umengan, president of Mindanao Association of Cooperatives (MAISCOFA), said the record harvests showed "that an agricultural sector leadership that combines hands-on farm experience and international management caliber can help the country move closer to food self-sufficiency".

Projections that corn harvest next year could reach 6.1 million MT further prove this point, he added. The unprecedented levels approximate the country’s minimum requirements for these basic grains.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Laurete, president of Federation of Irrigators Association in Nueva Ecija, said Lorenzo’s actual farming experience and management capabilities "have helped the Arroyo government to craft agricultural programs and policies that respond to real farmer needs and aspirations". He said among the most urgent of these is the need to address the issue of the dwindling size of the country’s arable lands.

Laurete noted that under Lorenzo’s stewardship of the agriculture department, national average yield per hectare for rice has marked continuing increases. In 2003, the average reached 3.37 MT per hectare, compared to 3.28 MT in 2002 and 3.19 in 2001.

He said the consistent increase in average yield per hectare means rice farming can continue to be viable despite the conversion of rice lands for other purposes.

Lorenzo said the average yield is expected to further improve to 3.56 MT per hectare this year. First quarter harvest alone hit the 3.43 MMT level, up by over 13 percent over the same period last year.

National Corn Board chairperson Doris Ho also noted similar increases in the average yield per hectare of corn farms during Lorenzo’s stint. The average reached 1.92 MT in 2003, and 1.80 in 2002. Average yield is expected to exceed 2.0 MT per hectare this year.

Other groups which cited the Arroyo administration’s agriculture sector gains were Mindanao Business Council, Agricultural and Fisheries Council of General Santos City and the Provincial Farmers Action Council of South Cotabato. The groups underscored "the significant advantage of President Arroyo’s appointment of Secretary Lorenzo who is not only a policy and management expert, but also a modern farmer himself".

The groups expressed hope that the new Arroyo government "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."