Smarter News Now
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Email Whitelisting
No Result
View All Result
  • Top News
  • Economy News
  • Forex News
  • Investing News
  • Stock News
  • Politics News
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Top News
  • Economy News
  • Forex News
  • Investing News
  • Stock News
  • Politics News
  • Editor’s Pick
No Result
View All Result
Smarter News Now
No Result
View All Result
Home Investing News

Agri experts: Forget zero hunger, focus on farmers

by
July 31, 2022
in Investing News
0
Agri experts: Forget zero hunger, focus on farmers
0
SHARES
11
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
PHILSTAR

ACHIEVING zero hunger in the Philippines, as in any country, is a far-fetched goal, agriculture experts said, and the government should instead focus on the supply side by ensuring sustainable food production by uplifting farmers.   

When asked about a bill seeking to achieve zero hunger in the country within 10 years after its passage, Roy S. Kempis, retired Pampanga State Agricultural University professor, said zero hunger should be viewed as a “situation in which Filipinos be given the highest extent of access to food that can be made available within the Philippine economy at any given time of the day.”  

Senate Bill 30, or the Right to Adequate Food Act, aims to bring down the incidence of hunger in the country by 25% every 2.5 years to reach zero within a decade from the level recorded at the time of its passage. 

The proposed measure refers to hunger as a condition in which people are unable to eat enough for the necessary nutrients for a fully productive, active and healthy lifestyle due to unavailability and inaccessibility of food.   

“I should say that 10 years is too long a time but we have to have threshold indicators as to what is the highest extent access possible,” Mr. Kempis said in a Viber message to BusinessWorld.   

“Certainly again, there is no such thing as 100% access.”  

“Even in advanced countries, there are still hungry people, so ensuring zero hunger will most probably be just an aspiration also,” Federation of Free Farmers National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor told BusinessWorld in a separate Viber message.  

“It will take a herculean effort for us to even just reduce hunger, much less eliminate it,” he said.   

“I think we must also consider that hunger is the effect of poverty, and that people cannot buy food not only because food is expensive but also because they do not earn enough money to feed themselves,” he added. 

Jayson H. Cainglet, executive director of farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, said addressing hunger fundamentally rests on the government’s agriculture policies and programs.   

“Decreasing hunger will ultimately be achieved on the overarching agri-food policies that this and succeeding governments will embark on,” he said. “We really need a comprehensive land-use plan.” 

Mr. Montemayor said farmers should first be encouraged to improve production rates with adequate government support and good income.  

“Helping farmers earn more is hitting two birds with one stone because they are among the poorest but at the same time, they are the source of food for the hungry.”  

However, Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara has said that the 2023 national budget will likely increase by only 4%, implying that it will be highly unlikely that the agriculture budget can be tripled, as earlier requested by former Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar.  

“Doesn’t need to be tripled immediately,” said Mr. Montemayor. “Too much too soon will only lead to waste. What is important is that the budget is consistently increased over time so that good programs can be sustained, and new programs can be launched to build on achievement.”  

Food production, he added, should get more priority than national defense or even anti-insurgency. “People will not rebel against the government if there is less poverty and hunger.”  

Mr. Cainglet, meanwhile, said that “while there really is a need to increase the budget, the bigger concern is the policy direction and judicious use of the budget.”  

Mr. Kempis said budgetary constraints can be addressed without borrowing or taking funds from other agencies of government.  

He suggested the implementation of financing programs, which can be sourced from public capital through both the national and local governments, or public-private partnerships. He also recommended the use of efficient procurement procedures.  

“Farmers need to be encouraged,” Mr. Cainglet said, “it should be clear to them that the government, this time, will be on their side.” — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

ShareTweetPin

Related Posts

Stocks decline on profit taking, recession fears
Investing News

Stocks decline on profit taking, recession fears

August 23, 2022
Peso climbs vs dollar as RTB offer starts
Investing News

Peso climbs vs dollar as RTB offer starts

August 23, 2022
PNR cancels bids for 3 projects after finding them ‘non-feasible’
Investing News

PNR cancels bids for 3 projects after finding them ‘non-feasible’

August 23, 2022
Senate grills Rodriguez on approval procedures for sugar import order
Investing News

Senate grills Rodriguez on approval procedures for sugar import order

August 23, 2022
Trade dep’t expecting sugar price monitoring report by Friday
Investing News

Trade dep’t expecting sugar price monitoring report by Friday

August 23, 2022
Fisherfolk seek halt to reclamation on municipal fisheries
Investing News

Fisherfolk seek halt to reclamation on municipal fisheries

August 23, 2022
Next Post
Samal resort owners seek review of bridge project’s environmental certificate 

Samal resort owners seek review of bridge project’s environmental certificate 

Get the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.
Email Address *
Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!
 

Recommended

Clarkson can only play as ‘naturalized player’ — FIBA

Clarkson can only play as ‘naturalized player’ — FIBA

August 9, 2022
Dollar reserves drop to $103B

Dollar reserves drop to $103B

June 8, 2022
PHL posts 43.2% jump in deaths in 2021; births decline 10.7%

PHL posts 43.2% jump in deaths in 2021; births decline 10.7%

August 14, 2022
Jobs rise, unions dip in 2020 — PSA

Jobs rise, unions dip in 2020 — PSA

August 12, 2022
Companies’ confidence rises in face of inflation

Companies’ confidence rises in face of inflation

May 31, 2022
Peso surges as SONA boosts sentiment

Peso surges as SONA boosts sentiment

July 26, 2022
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Email Whitelisting

Copyright © 2022 SmarterNewsNow.
All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer: SmarterNewsNow.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice.
The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Email Whitelisting
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Thank You

Copyright © 2020 SmarterNewsNow. All Rights Reserved.