Re-elected Cong. Manuel “Chiquiting” Sagarbarria says he will focus on food production to assure his constituents a better standard of living.
As a lawmaker, he said he will propose laws that will give incentives for farmers to till the land.
“Right now, our farmers are faced with a higher cost of production compared to farmers from other countries like Vietnam and China,” he said in an interview Friday.
He said that the inflow of imported and cheaper farm produce is putting our own farmers at a disadvantage.
“Once our farmers stop farming, and the other countries decide to stop selling us their products, what will happen? We will all go hungry,” he warned.
Sagarbarria said he will source funds in Congress to construct more farm-to-market roads in the 2nd District so that farmers can easily sell their produce themselves, and not through middle men.
The Department of Agriculture had earlier expressed concern over the lack of interest in the young people in farming due to the perception that farmers are subjected to harsh working conditions, and often have lower incomes.
Sagarbarria said the average age of the Filipino farmer is 57. “If we assume that the average life span of a person is 70, we are nearing a critical shortage of farmers,” he said. (AP)
