IMPROVE the country‘s agricultural commodity logistics are necessary to ensure a stable food supply and the agricultural sector‘s growth, a senator said Tuesday.
Senator Maria Imelda “Ime” R. Marcos, who chairs the Senate Economic Affairs Committee, said an efficient distribution system will improve the country’s food production and supply cycle.
“A bad distribution system creates scarcity amid plenty, waste amid want,” she says.
With efficient delivery of agricultural products from source to consumers, authorities would be able to determine where the real shortages are and the import volume needed for products such as rice, sugar, vegetables, pork, beef, poultry and fish.
“We must redirect the revenue stream from the import cartels to our local farmers and provide the lowest possible food prices for the public,” she says.
The senator also called for the expansion of the Young Farmers Challenge program to increase the national food supply and encourage young people to farm using modern technology and develop new ideas.
“This advocacy must become more than a prize giving competition supported by the Ministry of Agriculture. To make a bigger difference, other government departments and all local government units should be involved,” she says.
“We need more young farmers with new ideas for a dying vocation whose practitioners are now on average 57 years old,” she added. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan
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