Science-based and data-driven production-importation scheduling will help achieve food security
March 12, 2023CitizenWatch supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s initiative on implementing a strategic production-importation scheduling approach to agriculture products as a way to protect the local agriculture sector. Indeed, importation should be a last resort, only to be done when local production proves inadequate to meet demand.
We note with concern previous incidences when certain basic agricultural products became unavailable, or cost beyond the means of the ordinary Filipino. For a largely agricultural country, this is an embarrassment, pointing to a weak grasp of the sensitivities of local production and to a disconnect with farming communities across the archipelago.
Implementing a strategic production-importation approach and establishing a detailed cropping schedule, as proposed by the President, will allow our farmers to take advantage of three cropping cycles a year and reap the benefits of the rainy season, while also minimizing the devastating effects of severe weather conditions exacerbated by climate change. Moreover, this will ensure local agriculture industries’ continued growth and development and maintain healthy market competition and equitable benefits to all stakeholders.
Integrating a balanced importation-production approach to agricultural commodities, particularly for critical and staple commodities like corn, sugar, coffee, poultry, and livestock, among others, would ensure their availability, accessibility, and affordability for Filipino consumers. It will help our nation achieve food security.
In this pursuit, the power of scientific information and insight is central and crucial. Access to that information for purposes of decision-making will determine our success. For example, information on when to plant which crops and where will result in higher yields and better-quality produce. Likewise, data that helps the government make an informed decision on when to import animal meat would not undermine, instead, help our farmers become more competitive.
When we become more data-driven, our agriculture sector can become more resilient to external shocks. We can then balance – and plan – our imports so that we can protect our local farmers from competition brought by cheap imported agricultural products.
Filipinos deserve to enjoy the availability, accessibility, and affordability of agricultural products grown and raised on our land. Likewise, the local agriculture sector deserves support so that it could grow, develop, become competitive, and deliver benefits equitably to all stakeholders.