President Marcos Jr. yesterday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to support and revive the long neglected agri-fishery sector, including sustaining its modernization and reviving some of the reforms and programs initiated during the term of his father and namesake, the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
The President, speaking at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) in Quezon City, said the government faces a monumental task to improve the agri-fishery sector as he again called for a whole-of-nation approach to address all the challenges.
Marcos urged FFF to continue supporting efforts of the government to empower the farmers and fishermen, and to keep the organization’s legacy of “uplifting all the lives of every Filipino rural worker” alive.
“This is a big job… the government cannot do everything alone, we need your help. We need your diligence, we need your advice because you directly face the problems in agriculture that we experience now,” he said.
He reiterated that the government will do all it can to help both the farmers and fisherfolk have a good harvest that could be sold at an affordable price to the consumers, while at the same time ensure that the farmers and fishermen would have a steady income and means of livelihood to be able to live a good life.
Marcos said the top priorities of his administration, such as enhancing agricultural productivity to guarantee affordable food supply and lessen the country’s dependence on importation, also remains.
Among the efforts of the government to “steer the growth of our fisheries and farming industries with urgency” is through the allocation of a substantial budget to support the modernization of the agri-fisheries sector, he added.
The government allocated P85.88 billion for the modernization of the agri-fisheries industry which is proposed to be increased to P92.4 billion for 2024. The 2023 budget includes the P4.73 billion allocated for large-scale agriculture and fishery mechanization and modernization, which would help reduce post-harvest losses and ensure optimal yield at an affordable cost.
The President said another measure is to strengthen the various agricultural associations and cooperatives so they can provide business and investment opportunities to their beneficiaries and eventually help elevate the standard of living and improve the lives of the farmers and fishermen and their families.
He added that increasing exportation of the country’s agricultural products has been an essential driver in the competitiveness of the economy.
Meanwhile, Marcos lauded FFF for its programs that strengthen the voice of various workers all over the country.
He also recognized FFF’s genuine service and constant cooperation with the government that led to the undertaking of various developments.
“Through your programs and initiatives, you have effectively elevated and empowered the voices of our small farmers, fisherfolk, and rural workers, across the nation. This noble pursuit is the very essence of what my father, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., strongly believed in, which I believe I have certainly inherited. This is why it’s worth recalling how we championed the cause of the Federation of Free Farmers and expressed his unwavering support for this organization,” he said.
The President said he is looking forward to FFF’s continued endeavors that will contribute to the vision for a “Bagong Pilipinas” and in achieving food security and nutrition security for the Philippines.
FFF was formed in 1953 as a “peaceful alternative to the Huk Rebellion” and an “organization of farmers, by farmers and for farmers.”
It has a mass base of about 200,000 farmers and fisherfolk, and remains as one of the largest and most reputable organizations of farmers in the country.