Farmers' group unhappy with Marcos' efforts in agriculture sector

The Manila Times

Farmers' group unhappy with Marcos' efforts in agriculture sector   Bantay Bigas spokesman and Amihan Secretary General Cathy Estavillo says their group is widely dissatisfied with the current administration's efforts in the agricultural sector. She says that the opening of more Kadiwa stores will not lower food prices and that the only real solution is to boost local food production.  VIDEO AND INTERVIEW BY EZRAH RAYA  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion  Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes #DailyNews #BantayBigas #Kadiwa #Agriculture #Amihan

Transcript

00:00 I'm Esra Raya reporting on the hottest issues and the biggest stories.

00:04 This is the Manila Times.

00:06 Last Monday, President Bongbong Marcos concluded his second State of the Nation address

00:11 with promises in boosting first the agricultural sector

00:16 and the opening of more Kadiwa stores to feed more Filipino families across the country.

00:22 Here with us is Amihan Secretary General and Bantay Bigas spokesperson, Kathy Estavillo.

00:28 Welcome to the Manila Times, ma'am.

00:30 Actually, Ms. Esra, last year, her first State of the Nation address was also like that.

00:40 She promised that she will focus on the industrial agriculture sector,

00:44 that she will encourage farmers to plant what we will harvest on the table.

00:49 Farmers were even more affected because of her promise to implement laws

00:58 that will result in the importation of imported products to our country.

01:04 The continued increase in the prices of food products

01:09 has become a solution to import and import.

01:14 On the other hand, even if there are a lot of people who are importing,

01:19 the product is still expensive.

01:26 So now she doesn't have any promises on 20 pesos per kilo

01:30 and what she is focusing on is the establishment of Kadiwa centers.

01:37 So how many Kadiwa centers? Thousands of Kadiwa centers.

01:43 Kadiwa centers are there but it is not significant to lower the price of products to be bought in the market.

01:57 The rice that has 25 pesos per kilo is limited to buy.

02:05 So we can say that even if there are limited and not significant Kadiwa centers,

02:14 to lower the price in the market, and it is still expensive,

02:19 the rice is 43 pesos, the fish and meat is back, the chicken is 210 pesos per kilo.

02:30 So how can you say that Kadiwa is lowering the prices of products to be bought in the market?

02:39 Nothing. It is not significant.

02:42 The prices of products to be bought are getting more expensive if that is what she is focusing on.

02:47 Second, she is saying that she is going to boost our agriculture.

02:54 She is not looking at the policies like the RA-11-03, the RCEF,

03:02 which has a huge effect on our markets, on our production and at the same time on our local market

03:14 because the government removed the regulatory power to give or to impose price control.

03:30 And the importers are now becoming a cartel that can monopolize the price and the product.

03:43 She is not mentioning that.

03:45 So she will continue to say that she will boost the agriculture if those policies are still in place for the farmers.

03:55 These problems will continue with the high prices of food.

04:04 The farmers and the consumers are the ones who are suffering, especially the low-income people, the workers.

04:18 And of course, she is not mentioning the weekly increase in the price of oil.

04:24 That has a huge effect on the daily life of the Filipino people.

04:31 Ma'am, based on what our President said, do you agree with the construction of more Kadiwa stores?

04:39 And were you happy with what she did for the agriculture sector?

04:45 Actually, Ms. Esra, we are not happy with what she did for the agriculture sector.

04:50 The problem of farmers is still there.

04:55 The losses of their agriculture is not just a simple loss, but their products are very low.

05:07 Their products are very low and at the same time, their income is very low because of the lack of post-harvest facilities,

05:14 lack of irrigation and most of all, the continuous displacement of our farmers due to land use conversion.

05:24 The imported rice from our country and other products are also being displaced by many farmers.

05:37 We can see that their products are being destroyed and no one is buying them.

05:42 Because since the liberalization of agriculture was implemented, the government removed its responsibility

05:52 to buy the products of our farmers at high prices and they should sell them in the markets at a low price.

06:05 During the PBBM, the cartels, hoarders, price manipulators and the role of traders in the farmers

06:16 grew more and more because there was no support subsidy provided by the government.

06:22 So if we look at the last year, the calamity that happened to the lives of our farmers,

06:33 even if they are the DA Secretary, we can see that the price of agricultural products in the market is increasing.

06:43 The price of onions is very significant, the price of sugar is also increasing, not going down to 100 pesos per kilo.

06:56 The same goes for rice, we can see that the promises of rice are not being fulfilled.

07:02 The 20 pesos per kilo is more than double the prevailing price of rice in the market.

07:08 That is because they are increasing the food supply for importation and they are letting the needs of our farmers die.

07:22 So to answer your question if we are happy with the program of Rejimeng Marcos during the last 100 years.

07:36 So for now, he is advocating the establishment of Kadiwa centers that according to him,

07:44 the price of agricultural products in the market is decreasing because of Kadiwa centers.

07:50 PBBM does not know, it seems like he is not selling because he does not feel the high price of food that is being sold in the market.

08:04 There are Kadiwa centers but it is not significant to lower the price of the primary food that is being sold in the market.

08:13 If you need to go to the Kadiwa centers to get a massage several times to reach the Kadiwa centers that the government has built,

08:22 and second, the purchase is very limited like the rice that is being sold at a low price.

08:28 There are 25 pesos per kilo but only 50 consumers can buy it daily and it is limited to 5 kilos per day per person.

08:41 So if his answer to the high price of the primary food is the Kadiwa centers, that is not the answer to the wide range of hunger.

08:53 The answer to the wide range of hunger and the high price of the primary food is the strength of our local production,

09:03 the support of our farmers, to boost our local industry through post-harvest facilities, subsidy, subsidized loans,

09:14 and ensure that the government will buy from our farmers so that the traders will be gone and he will bring it to the Kadiwa centers and at the same time to the markets.

09:24 Very well said, ma'am. Maraming saluto, Amihan Secretary General and Bantay Bigas spokesperson, Ms. Cathy Estavillo.

09:37 Thank you.

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