Press Release
July 16, 2021

Poe to DA: Boost harvests, ease hunger

Sen. Grace Poe called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to scale up local agricultural production and aim for a dynamic, high-growth sector to alleviate the hunger woes of millions of Filipinos (Nanawagan si Sen. Grace Poe sa Department of Agriculture (DA) na palakasin at pasiglahin ang produksiyon ng lokal na agrikultura upang maibsan ang kagutumang nararanasan ng maraming Pilipino).

"Our people are hungry. There's something disconcerting about the reality that this is happening in an agricultural country (Nagugutom ang ating mga mamamayan. Nakababahala ang reyalidad na ito para sa isang bansang agrikultural)," Poe said.

The recent Social Weather Stations survey on hunger showed that the number of families that went hungry increased to 4.2 million in May. This is slightly higher than the November 2020 hunger rate polled by the survey firm (Ipinakita ng pinakahuling survey ukol sa kagutuman ng Social Weather Stations na umakyat ang bilang ng mga pamilyang nakaranas ng gutom sa 4.2 milyon nitong Mayo. Mas mataas ito ng kaunti kumpara sa naitala nitong bilang noong Nobyembre 2020).

Poe lamented that the country's farm sector continues to shrink despite the billions allocated to the department and to agriculture-related programs every year (Patuloy na lumiliit ang sektor ng magbubukid sa kabila ng bilyong inilalaan ng kagawaran para sa mga programang pang-agrikultura kada taon).

"The leadership in the department is crucial. When the DA is on the opposite side of local farmers and producers, challenges in the country's agriculture will only get worse and so will the problem of hunger (Krusyal ang liderato sa kagawaran. Kung ito ay nasa kabilang panig ng lokal na magsasaka, mas lalala ang mga hamong kinakaharap ng sektor, lalo na ang gutom)," she stressed.

According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the agriculture sector has been contracting for two consecutive quarters, with production decreasing by 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020 and falling again by 3.3 percent in the first quarter of 2021 (Ayon sa datos ng Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), umurong ang sektor ng agrikultura ng dalawang magkasunod na kwarter, habang bumaba ng 3.8 porsiyento ang produksiyon sa ikaapat na bahagi ng 2020 at bumagsak sa 3.3 porsiyento sa unang yugto ng 2021).

The drop in agriculture production is compounded further by the huge number of people without jobs. According to the PSA, 3.73 million had no jobs as of May (Pinatindi ang pagbagsak ng produksiyon sa agrikultura ng kawalan ng trabaho ng maraming mamamayan. Ayon sa PSA, 3.73 milyon ang walang trabaho nitong Mayo).

"The lack of access to food among poor Filipinos is on stark display by the long lines in community pantries (Malinaw na ipinakita ng mahabang pila sa mga community pantry ang kawalan at kakulangan ng pagkain ng ating mga kababayan)," Poe said, adding that unemployment exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult for many families to put food on the table.

Increased spending in agriculture can boost yield and sustainable growth for the sector that has been neglected for many years. But Poe reminded that spending should be guarded to ensure that funds are utilized efficiently (Mapapalakas ang ani kapag itinaas ang pangtustos sa agrikultural na pangangailangan at maiaangat ang paglago ng sektor. Pero ipinaalala rin ni Poe na dapat bantayan ang paggastos upang matiyak na magagamit nang maayos ang pondo).

Food security and livelihood are of paramount importance against the specter of hunger among Filipinos, especially amid a pandemic (Mahalaga ang seguridad sa pagkain at kabuhayan sa paglaban sa gutom sa gitna ng pandemya, aniya).

"There's no room for complacency while many of our people sleep on an empty stomach (Walang puwang ang pagiging kampante, habang natutulog ang ating mga kababayan nang kumakalam ang tiyan)," Poe added.

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