LOREN ADVOCATES P11 BILLION TO AGRICULTURE, P700M TO CORN

LEGASPI CITY, April 16 - Sen. Loren Legarda today disclosed that she was advocating P10 to P11 billion annually for research and development (R&D) in agriculture to make the Philippines more self-sufficient in food production.

Addressing the 6th Philippine National Corn Congress in this city, Loren, who is the chair of the Senate committee on agriculture, said the allocation would include P700 billion for corn production. The Congress is sponsored by the Philippine Maize Federation.

"Corn is the second most important crop after rice. A significant number of Filipinos in the Visayas and Mindanao eat white corn as their staple food," Loren said. Corn also constitute the main feed for hogs, poultry and other livestock.

Loren explained that a primary objective of R&D in corn production is the improvement of the genetic stock of both yellow and white corn varieties. "The anemic production yield of about 2.7 metric tons per hectare has to be jumpstarted by superior seeds," she asserted.

"Bt corn surpassed the performance of non-Bt corn by an average of 18.5 percent in two cropping seasons," she pointed out. Transgenic corn is also found to be cost efficient and is being developed to become resilient to adverse weather conditions. It also will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help prevent climate change.

"We hail our scientists for introducing other new corn varieties as the IPB Var 6 developed by the University of the Philippines Los Banos: a high yielding variety of white corn touted to be a slow-release carbohydrate food best for stamina-requiring activities such as boxing, for weight watching because it reduces food cravings and ideal for diabetes because it does not raise blood sugar.," Loren said.

"The R&D funds should then focus on to the discovery of improved production technologies, and better post-harvest facilities that can be mass-produced. The R&D funds should be complemented by higher allocation for an upgraded extension service, creating market linkages, an efficient distribution network, and support irrigation that suits the minimal requirements of corn growers."

She also expressed the possibility of converting Mindanao into a "corn belt" because of its fertile land conducive to corn growing and to its being free from typhoons and other extreme weather conditions.

"The truth is we have to undertake more serious study on the challenges and opportunities for the corn industry, taking into account production conditions, market realities and other vital variables," Loren declared.

She praised the members of the Philippine Maize Federation for striving to improve corn production. "Not only is the Federation unwavering in its determination to produce corn, it is always innovating, experimenting and investing to improve the various facets of corn production," Loren stated.

However, she worried that Philippine accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) "has created more problems than opportunities. "The global trade in agriculture has been skewed in favor of the heavily-subsidized farmers from the OECD countries.

"The over $300 billion a year that OECD countries pour to their farmers in form of production and export subsidies is more than the total overseas development assistance (ODA) from these wealthy countries .

"Some of our critical agricultural sub-sectors had been wiped out by reckless dumping of cheap goods from subsidized countries. Meanwhile, we continue to scale down our agricultural tariffs."

State investments into the agricultural sector still need to be rationalized and attuned to the mandate of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) in policy, programmatic and institutional directions, Loren also pointed out.

"I am giving priority to the passage of the Agri-Agra bill which I authored and promote the use of the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund or ACEF by deserving agri producers. The Philippine commercial banking system has a marked pro urban and anti-farm bias, squeezing farmers out of the credit mainstream. The mandated funds for agricultural loans are instead used by the banking system to buy bonds and invest in housing and other non-agri infrastructure. I am therefore committed to passing this year the Agri-Agra Bill and ensure that agricultural credit will be dedicated to the needs of the agri sector," Loren further stated.