Businessmen urge full implementation of agriculture modernization law

MANILA, Philippines - Local businessmen are asking the government to fully implement the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (RA 8435).

In a resolution submitted to President Arroyo yesterday, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said rationalization of the existing institutional mechanisms should be carried out to further strengthen private – public partnership (PPP) and make them more effective in expanding agri-food exports, facilitating modernization and growth of the sector. 

Likewise, the PCCI asked the government to allocate substantial resources to rehabilitate affected areas and crops in central and north Luzon as well as come up with measures to augment farmers’ incomes including the provision of agricultural production and post-harvest machineries to replace affected machineries.

In an interview, Roberto Amores, chairman of the 35th Philippine Business Conference (PBC) said they will ask the government to focus on the completion of infrastructure projects like the Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT), North and South Metro Rail Transit (MRT), the Caticlan runway and the extension of the North Luzon Expressway to Pangasinan.

Amores said they have revised some of their resolutions in light of the devastation brought about by the two typhoons which hit the country simultaneously.

Initially, Amores said the rehabilitation of irrigation and farm to market roads were part of their medium term to long term plans. However, it has been pushed as an immediate project because road networks have been destroyed.

Amores said this is the reason why the prices of fruits and vegetables have skyrocketed and went up by more than 300 percent.

Aside from losing crops that were about to be harvested during the floods and rains, the farmers are having a hard time bringing harvested fruits and vegetables to its consumers because the roads and bridges were destroyed.

Amores estimated that 50 percent of the high prices were due to recovery of spoilage costs while the remaining 50 percent is for the high transportation and logistics cost.

On infrastructure, Amores said the private sector will finish all the existing projects like the LRT1 MRT north and south, the Caticlan runway and NLEX extension.

This, Amores noted, will bring an increase in employment. “More construction will require manpower,” he said. Employment in other sectors, he said, will follow as soon as the infrastructure of the country is good.