By Marron Joshua F. Mendoza
The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) said that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
FFF Chairman and former Secretary of Agriculture Leonardo Q. Montemayor in a statement said that both the agriculture and fisheries sectors have remained stagnant compared to the 1% population growth rate, although the Department of Agriculture (DA) has been given a higher budget gradually.
Mr. Montemayor noted that despite the DA allocating 60% of its funding to the rice program, the yield of palay (unmilled rice) per hectare improved from 4.11 tons per hectare in 2022 to 4.14 tons per hectare in 2025, well below the five tons targeted by the DA.
He also noted the over-reliance on imports to meet growing consumer demand, saying the country has imported nearly 30 percent of its rice needs by 2022, compared to less than 10 percent a decade ago.
“Today, the country has the dubious distinction of being the largest importer of rice in the world,” said Mr. Montemayor.
Mr. Montemayor said the tax reduction and the resulting increase in imports following the issuance of Executive Order No. 62 did not reduce retail prices while costing producers and farmers.fiincome, while discouraging them from producing more.
He said efforts to close free trade agreements with the European Union, Canada, and Chile show pork and poultry producers the government’s intention to import more and pursue more free trade.
“For the 3 million rice farmers, their income decreased by P50 billion per year in real terms since the enactment of the Rice Tariff Law in 2019,” said Mr. Montemayor.
Mr. Montemayor highlighted the continued entry of commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters legally reserved by the municipality. fisherfolk, a continuing concern for livelihood fifishing industry.
“The administration of Marcos Jr. and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) are considered to have dropped the ball in protecting the special rights of municipal fishermen,” said Mr. Montemayor, citing the stalled progress in the courts of the case of Mercidar Fishing Corp., which challenged the Fisheries Code as one and a half kilometers of commercial from coast to coast of the fishing area. activities.
Mr. Montemayor said that although he supports the signing of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act in 2023, he is in favor of the unpaid debt of the agrarian reform benefit.fithe Department of Agrarian Review (DAR) has been slow to respond to illegal land conversions, stagnant agrarian disputes and violence against activist farmers.
“The DAR chose to remain silent despite the cries of landless farmers – following the constitutional provisions on agrarian reforms and social justice – to be given a legal way to access and own land after the 2014 deadline under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms Law (CARPER) Law,” said Mr Montemayor.
Mr. Montemayor noted that some of the commitments in the agricultural sector made in the previous SONA (State of the Union Address) conference, have not been fulfilled, including fighting with some.fifocused on the trade of agricultural goods, the planting of 15 million coconut trees by 2025, and the approval of the amendments to the Coconut Industry Law and the Fund for 2021.
