Did PNoy sidestep agriculture in his SONA?

President Benigno Aquino III forgot about the agriculture industry in his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered Monday, according to the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG).

 

“Ngayon, tila nakalimutan na ang mga magbubukid sa tinaguriang 'Daang Matuwid' ng Pangulo,” SINAG Chair Rosendo O. So said on Tuesday.

 

According to the farmer’s group, previous SONAs of the President cited rice self-sufficiency, post-harvest and cold storage facilities, food security, agricultural modernization, and anti-smuggling efforts.

 

“The total exclusion of the agriculture sector” dismayed the group, as it was hoping for the President to mention pressing issues hounding the industry like the “worsening smuggling of agricultural commodities.”

 

Last year alone, a total of P37.3 billion was denied in revenue terms due to smuggling of agricultural commodities. Rice smuggling alone was said to have deprive the country of P5.6 billion in revenues, SINAG noted.

 

The group said the agriculture sector has contributed a mere 0.2 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) so far this year.

 

Sought for comment, National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Renan B. Dalisay said he expected the President to mention that “we have stabilized the price of rice in the market after rice inflation shot up to 14 percent last August. 

 

“Right now, it is down 2 percent. This is because of adequate and sufficient supply,” Dalisay said in a text message.

Measures

 

Under the President’s term, four key agencies of the Agriculture Department – National Food Authority (NFA), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), and Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) – were transferred to the supervision of Francis N. Pangilinan, the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization (PAFSAM).

 

For his part, Department of Agriculture (DA) Spokesperson and Undersecretary for Field Operations Emerson U. Palad said the President did not forget about the sector in his address.

 

“Hindi naman totally absent ang agriculture,” he said in a separate phone interview.

 

Palad noted the President acknowledged Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala for the measures to curb illegal fishing and the revocation of the European Union's the yellow card against the Philippines in June 2014.

 

He cited how President has attended the inauguration of the Negros First Rice Processing Center in Bacolod last April, as well as meetings with several DA offices.

 

The best proof that the President has not disregarded the sector is his trust in the DA, with a higher proposed budget of P5.5 billion for 2016.

 

In terms of the GDP, Palad said cited Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data that showed agriculture grew by 1.9 percent in the first quarter. “We are waiting for the first half results (which may come) within the month,” he said.

 

He noted the DA is confident that the agriculture sector posted positive growth in January to June. “Wala namang malaking takot. Maaachieve ang target. Calamity lang kalaban natin,” he said. – VS, GMA News