Marcos orders geo mapping of agri lands to boost farmers' production

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has directed the geo mapping of all agricultural lands in the country to establish soil maps for specific agricultural products that will help improve farmers' products.

Marcos said the government is already using geo mapping when it comes to resolving titling issues in order to boost agricultural production and increase the income of farmers.

“Iyong sa geo mapping, actually ginagamit na namin ang mapa ng BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) at saka NAMRIA (National Mapping and Resource Information Authority). We are putting together everything kasi mahirap naman ipa-survey lahat. So, para alam na natin ‘yung mga areas and it started also with irrigation, sa NIA,” Marcos said in the meeting with the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM) on Wednesday.

(In geo mapping, we're already using maps of BIR and NAMRIA. We are putting together everything because it would be difficult to have a survey on all these lands.)

“So from that, ‘yung titling problem na sinasabi natin, magiging mas madali. But at least ma-define na natin ‘yung mga parcels of land and, in that way, alam na natin. So, kung maalis na natin ang titling problem, mas madali na lahat," he added.

(From that, the issue on titling will be easier. We will be able to define the parcels of land. It will be easier if we will solve the titling problem.)

During the meeting, PRISM also raised other concerns such as high cost of rice production and limited market access, limited access to capital investment, adverse Bureau of Internal Revenue policies, lack of extensive irrigation system, climate crisis-El Niño threat, and slow adoption of vital rice production technology.

The Presidential Communications Office said the present government interventions addressing these concerns include the implementation of Farm and Fisheries Consolidation and Clustering program (F2C2), provision of various support services including credit and financing by the Department of Agriculture, and the Land Bank of the Philippines, and establishment of climate-smart agriculture infrastructure.

The Marcos administration is also formulating the National Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization and Industrialization Plan and other plans to guide the development of the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Founded in 2019, PRISM is composed of multisectoral groups involved in the rice industry value chain. It has the mandate to address the fragmented government approach in addressing issues and help protect the interests of all stakeholders, from the farmers to the consumers. —VAL, GMA Integrated News