Photos by Bernard Testa
AS the country embraces its “new normal,” a new mindset on farming and agriculture shall arise: food production is not an easy task.
The disruption in the food trade caused by movement restrictions against Covid-19 have affected Filipino farmers and consumers differently.
On one hand, farmers struggle to sell their produce to earn income to survive the months-long lockdown and avert losses arising from glut and wastage.
On the other hand, Filipino consumers scrambled to stock up on food products even at the cost of higher prices for certain goods.
The two scenarios have led to one big realization: the food system is flawed. That flaw – if not addressed holistically – could lead to higher poverty incidence in the rural side while urban dwellers would be left with a costlier food supply.
Industry groups have pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic experience shows that agricultural investments, especially by the government, should be ramped up to cushion impacts of future trade-disrupting factors.
No less than Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar has pointed out repeatedly in recent weeks that the agriculture sector should be getting at least 9 percent of the country’s annual budget. This, Dar pointed out, is equivalent to the economic contribution of the farm sector.
“The budget for agriculture right now is not even 1 percent [of total national government budget],” Dar said.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has shot for the moon in the past by asking for a budget of as high as P333 billion, which was thumbed down due to tight budgetary space.
Short, efficient value chain
Aside from higher funding, a better market linkage for farmers and consumers is seen to be the “new normal.” A shorter value chain would mean an assured market with a better profit for farmers while providing consumers with more affordable food products.
This could take the form of more trading posts set up in strategic areas—if possible, in every district, Dar said.
“We have to see to it that there are more trading posts in strategic positions in provinces. We only have a few at present in the provinces,” he said. “And there should also be bagsakan [dropoff] centers in every district, strategically located.”
The use of internet and smartphone applications to purchase food products would also be a new norm, as it cuts short the value chain compared to the traditional food supply chain.
In fact, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) survey revealed that the government must strengthen online marketing of agricultural produce as more Filipinos rely increasinglyon digital or online food transactions.
In the view of Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who once served as presidential adviser on farming, local government units should also sustain their direct procurement of their food requirement from local farmers to provide them with assured market and better pricing in the new normal.
The food trade disruptions also made Filipino consumers realize that production of food is not an easy task. Consumers were forced to find alternative methods, like using Facebook and Twitter, to purchase food requirements after being faced with higher priced goods due to limited supply as constrained by restricted movements. Such reliance on technology to source food is seen to stay on as part of the new normal.
Government officials and industry experts believe that a renewed interest in urban agriculture would prosper in the new normal. The government has been aggressive in promoting such food production systems to ensure household food security, especially in city dwellers, who have been too dependent on farm goods coming from provinces. (Read more: Covid-19 propels city-farming opportunities to centerstage.
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