Bill promoting young farmers, fishers now awaits Senate approval

With the population of farmers and fishermen having reach 50 to 60, pretty soon these noble livelihood would soon be gone.

This is why the House of Representatives has approved, on third and final reading, House Bill 10840, and forwarded it to the Senate for deliberation and approval. The bill seeks to promote and harness the potential of young farming entrepreneurs to drive the growth and development of the agricultural sector, which has long been neglected by the government.

The bill, as crafted, encourages, empowers, and supports young farmers and fishermen to become active partners in food security, agricultural development, and modernization.

The bill encourages young people to pursue careers or engage in agriculture-related activities, participate in policy formulation, and help implement programs in the agricultural sector, reported Business Mirror.

It provides support for youth-led agribusiness and agri-entrepreneurship initiatives, positioning the youth as agents of development.

The bill defines young farmers and fishermen as those between 15 and 35 years old who are engaged in farming and fisheries and registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture.

Young farmers and fisherfolk seeking employment for the first time will be exempt from government fees and charges related to licenses, IDs, clearances, and other employment documents, whether for local or overseas employment.

House Committee on Agriculture Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga said the bill aims to empower and encourage the youth to pursue careers in agriculture, ensuring that they become active partners in the country’s agricultural development and modernization.

He said this proposal follows President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s emphasis on the vital role of a robust agricultural sector, noting that a strong economy is built on a stable food supply. The urgency of this need has been further underscored by global crises such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which have exposed vulnerabilities in food security.

In the Philippines, Enverga said agriculture is the primary source of income for most rural families. However, rapid urbanization has led to a significant portion of the rural population, particularly the youth, abandoning agricultural activities in favor of more lucrative professions in urban areas. This trend poses a serious threat to the future of Philippine agriculture.

“Currently, the average age of Filipino farmers is 58 years old. With the youth sector comprising 44 million individuals aged 15 to 40, there is an urgent need to engage this demographic in agriculture. The challenge is not just about sustaining the agricultural sector but also about ensuring national food security by 2030.”

Enverga added that youth unemployment in the Philippines remains a significant issue, with the overall youth unemployment rate at 7.2 percent, and a staggering 14.1 percent among those aged 15 to 24. “This lack of opportunities for the youth is not just an obstacle to development; it also threatens social justice and national security.”

The Young Farmers Challenge Program aims to motivate young Filipinos to pursue careers in agriculture, give them a voice in policy debates, and provide institutional support for agribusiness and entrepreneurial initiatives. By addressing challenges like limited access to education, land, credit, and green jobs, the bill hopes to create meaningful opportunities for the youth in rural areas.

“This legislative measure seeks to address the myriad challenges faced by young people in rural areas, such as limited access to knowledge, education, land, affordable credit, and green jobs.” 

By institutionalizing the Young Farmers Challenge Program, Enverga said the bill aims to create opportunities for the youth to contribute meaningfully to the agricultural sector, ensuring the sustainability and growth of the industry for future generations.

Gov’t seeks foreign funds for agri infrastructure

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking at additional funding from international development partners to address critical challenges in the agricultural sector and fill large gaps in farm infrastructure due to the lack of significant investments in the past three decades.

Addressing the Manila Overseas Press Club, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA is cognizant of the government’s limited resources to undertake major projects such as seaports, roads and bridges, and irrigation that are needed to modernize agriculture and improve the income of farmers and fishermen.

“Your department is working at finding other funding sources from official development partners to implement necessary and relevant interventions needed to address critical sectoral and institutional challenges and investment gaps,” Laurel said.

Laurel said developing “Build Better More” farm-to-market roads and bridges has been proposed to the French Government to improve the infrastructure linking farm production sites, fisheries, coastal landing points, and post-harvest facilities to markets and major highways.

He said the project will also facilitate trade to ensure smooth and efficient movement of agricultural products to reduce trade barriers and develop a more effective value chain for food and agricultural commodities to ensure they reach their destinations more efficiently.

Laurel said the program is expected to address significant infrastructure gaps that currently hinder the efficient distribution of agricultural goods.

The DA is also proposing a project under the World Bank’s Program for Results, or P4R, for incremental funding to accelerate DA’s initiatives and enhance the impact of its programs, and emphasize achieving sustainable outcomes and building institutional capacity.

He said the World Bank’s P4R approach uses government systems and procedures rather than the Bank’s, streamlining the process and focusing on tangible results. P4R project is part of the World Bank’s strategy to expand the impact of development interventions through a results-oriented approach.

Laurel underscored the DA’s collaboration with the National Irrigation Administration, which has been recently transferred to the Office of the President to fastback irrigation projects, in pushing forward with the Philippine Solar-Powered Irrigation Project that will initially install 8,000 units across the country to provide farms with rapid access to irrigation, boost harvest and increase farm yields.

Efforts to expand the cold chain storage network to address issues of overproduction and post-harvest losses, particularly in high-value crops, he said.

“In addition, we will be building food terminals along with cold storage facilities that will also be strategically established regionally. These facilities are very crucial to address the food logistical cold chain issues,” Laurel said. DA PRESS OFFICE