Food sufficiency program starved by its implementation

Admittedly, the era of cheap food prices is over. Supposedly, that’s good news to our farmers, the unsung heroes since time immemorial, because they can earn more. Ironically however, they aren’t. The reasons are simple. Majority of these unfortunate sector are simply salivating for such attractive prices as their harvest are either just enough for them or are just barely enough to cover for their loans or advances from the loan sharks who are masquerading as middlemen. 

Unmindful of their misfortunes, we have to be reminded that these are the same farmers who are hardly recognized despite their immeasurable contribution to our economy in general and to every family’s dining table in particular. Indeed, until now, majority of our farmers are still languishing in dire poverty. Their state of stagnation is definitely a huge concern that should be addressed. The logic is very simple, when they remain poor, this country will remain poor. When they stay in dearth, likewise this country will be. A situation that is so revolting to a country known too blessed with both relatively good weather and arable tract of lands.

True enough, nature has blessed us with great resources that are necessary to both ameliorate our poor farmers and adequately provide us with our needed staple. However, despite the abundance of all these prerequisites, it is fact too that we remain starving. So insufficient for our needs, we opted to import the staple from our neighboring countries to bridge the demand and supply gap. Believing a supplier’s market is obtaining, our Southeast Asian neighbors took advantage and we paid a stiff price. Frankly, therefore, the very attractive prices pleased the farmers of our Southeast Asian neighbors, not our own. This is another big insult to a country that bragged about training them decades ago. 

So, what is really wrong with us? Did we try to take a look at this menacing grind? Or, have we left everything to chance. 

Mindful of the fact that our government structure is so adequate, let’s take a look at the departments that are perceivably tasked to directly address these concerns. There could be two departments that maybe directly involved in this. These are the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as well as the Department of Agriculture (DA). The DAR’s role is so straightforward. That is, to emancipate the farmers from these unwanted bondage. However, with over a billion pesos of unliquidated advances and highly questionable disbursements in hundreds of millions in consultancy fees, DAR is so far a big failure. With the DAR a big failure, the only remaining hope is the DA, well, supposedly. By its name alone, the department’s thrust is agriculture focused. Therefore, it will purportedly address the food sufficiency issues as well as the farmers’ long-endured predicaments.

Contrary to our expectations, however, this is another department that is in total mess. The department’s programs are great, well, in paper. Their implementation, however, are lacking in both zest and transparency. 

For instance, the DAR’s farm to market roads (FMRs) projects. This is a very laudable project. Once implemented, this will certainly cut the usurious loan sharks or middlemen from the chain. Directly, therefore, farmers will benefit from better or attractive farm-produced prices.   Its fulfillment will certainly encourage them to increase production thereby increasing family income and job opportunities. To our farmers’ misfortune, however, the Commission on Audit (COA) in its examination of the agency’s 2007 financial statements reported that “the FMR Projects of DA have not fully achieved its goal of providing efficient transport services to farmer beneficiaries for their products because of the FMR projects costing P2.856 billion, (a) only 29% or P831.373 million were fully implemented; (b) 47% or P1.349 billion were partially implemented; (c) 14% or P389.919 million were not yet implemented; and (d) 10% or P286.5 million incurred delay due to the absence of implanting guidelines. Likewise, physical inspection showed defective FMRs in RFUs III and V totaling P171 million, including the re-gravelling of roads which cannot be validated.”

Another laudable project that DA is trying to implement are the Post Harvest Facilities (PHFs). PHFs will certainly help farmers reduce their post harvest losses. With facilities like dryers or cold storages, farmers and fisher folks can utilize them to preserve their harvest while waiting for better prices in the market.   Unfortunately, however, this project was another waste. In the same report, COA singled out that an “uncoordinated acquisition of post harvest facilities totaling P300 million by National Agri-business Corporation (NABCOR) could not be validated due to lack of information on the status of project implementation. Likewise, various PHF projects valued at P95.167 million were not utilized because these items are outmoded, unserviceable, construction not completed, could not be located or are not the actual need of the farmers.”

The GMA Program under Gulayan ng Masa isn’t spared from the unscrupulous implementers’ mischievous ways too. This program supposedly provides vegetable seeds and planting materials to farmers to augment their income during the gap in planting seasons of rice and corn to reduce rural hunger and malnutrition. This should have been part of the Hunger Mitigation Program. To the farmers’ dismay, the project remained malnourished. In the same report, COA emphasized that “The receipt by beneficiaries of vegetable seeds and planting materials totaling P135.341 million distributed by various RFUs could not be fully validated due to the absence/incomplete master list of recipients and other deficiencies, casting doubt on the truthfulness of the transactions. The status and effectiveness, as well as, the benefits of the projects likewise could not be evaluated. Seeds received were said to have very low germination either due to long storage or expiry.”

Worst, COA uncovered that on top of the apparent failure of these projects, “there was a total excess/overpayment of P33.705 million in the procurement of farm inputs and implements and construction of FMR projects amounting to P174.118…”

My space is too small to accommodate COA’s 83-page report. By its sheer volume, however, it is easy to figure out the savagery this department went through from its implementers.  We can only hope that these crooks will soon realize that these projects are intended for the poor farmers. They are the projects’ true beneficiaries, who only have simple dreams.   That soon, they and their families shall live and not merely exist. Never deny them.

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