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REGGIE…set...go! Dir. Reggie Chan Asst. Ed. Dindo
Astom |
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EDitorial |
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Editor Edward Gaerlan |
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Reinventing Agriculture In
the history of nations, the biggest revolution for most countries with
fledgling economies was in agriculture. In the early 70’s the performance of
our agriculture was way up against our Asian neighbors, with us being the
largest producers and exporters of bananas, pineapples, and coconuts to name
a few, worldwide. Twenty years hence, the lack of government support has
caused its deterioration putting the Philippines at the tail end among its
neighboring countries in agricultural accomplishment. Our country is rich in natural
resources, and. human resources as well. Of the country’s current population
of 76 million, and the work force pegged by the National Statistics Office at
33.6 million, our country should be assured of a brighter economic future if
all the labor forces can be harnessed to the fullest. As of January 2001, it
is estimated that there are 11.73 million, or 36 percent of the country’s
total employed workers found in the agricultural sector. Being a primarily
agricultural country, this percentage should be substantially higher.
However, much of the work force swell themselves to white-collar jobs, or
jobs that would spare their hands from the lands. As of July 2001, over
70,000 workers nationwide just lost their jobs in the first seven months of
this year, while thousands more are facing unemployment due to the prevailing
economic crisis; these numbers are apart from the millions of previously
unemployed as of December 2000. Had those unemployed, high school drop-out,
or those unsuccessful in their professional pursuits been encouraged earlier
to bend towards agriculture we could have increased better our gross national
product, reduced the budget deficit, and accelerated our economic recovery. Along with the remittances of the overseas Filipino workers, agriculture has consistently served our economy in good and bad times. |
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With the threat of the on
going encounter between America and Middle East, the plight of our overseas
workers look bleak. Thus, we need to work harder to increase our productivity
and efficiency to be able to make our domestic sector more self-sufficient.
Meanwhile, we must also grab this moment as our chance to catch up with our
more developed neighbors and position ourselves more competitively in
agricultural markets aggressively? We must learn the benchmark against the
best in the world and push further growth in agriculture and other allied
ventures, like aquaculture. Our antiquated agriculture must be
revolutionized. Government, as well as NGOs must entice farmers, at the
soonest, to embrace modern agricultural methods and best yearlong use of lands
for a sustainable agro-industrial development. The use of hybrid seeds that
can dramatically improve yields and the quality of the crops must be
propagated. The raw and idle government lands should be converted into
high-technology rice, vegetable, and fruit tree farms, which can also
generate jobs. Most successful breakthroughs in economy
are those that anticipate or respond to market needs and preferences. It is
high time that we reinvent agriculture. |
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vol. 1
(40) * June 4, 2002 |