Senator Villar vows continued support to agri sector

PALO, Leyte, Oct. 14 (PNA) -- Senator Cynthia Villar vowed to continue supporting initiatives for farmers and fisher folks in the country even if she is no longer the chair of the Senate committee on food and agriculture.

Villar, who is now the chairperson of environment and natural resources said she will always promote what is good for the agriculture sector.

She said studies show that the majority of Filipinos living below the poverty line are rural folks engaged in agriculture, thus she believes that to upgrade their status, the agriculture sector needs help not only to survive but to prosper.

Villar, who was in Leyte on Thursday as keynote speaker of a gathering of cooperatives, agreed to the United Nations study saying that the world’s future food security depends on the viability of small, family-run farms and not by big industries.

“It is also important for children of farmers to continue farming and improve the livelihood of their parents,” she added.

For this to happen, especially the improvement of farmers’ standard of living, the government must help farmers and others in the sector—fishers, livestock raisers, farm laborers—improve their economic status.

“I defend their budget in the Senate since I am the vice chair of finance and I know and we already agreed as to the programs meant for the people, thus I insisted that they continue the program” Villar said.

Villas mentioned three programs that are guaranteed to continue - distribution of composters to recycle waste into organic fertilizers, distribute decorticating machine to recycle waste coconut husk into coconets, and development of farm schools to teach the farmers the effective methods of farming to increase their income.

According to Villar, farm schools can teach farmers to adopt to modern technology and adjust to mechanization.

“By having a farm school, farmers will acquire business sense,” Villar said, adding these pocket farms have the potential to prosper if only they are properly harnessed.

Villar added that farmers should be “agri-preneurs” who not only possess business acumen but also financial literacy, technology and mechanization. “Educating the farmers is the key to propel them to sustained development,” she added. (PNA)
FPV/SQM/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA/EGR