Marcos to serve as agriculture secretary ''for now''
By Robina Asido
President-elect Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. decided to temporarily lead the Department of Agriculture to reorganize the agency, emphasizing country's food problem.
"As for agriculture, I think the problem is serious enough that I have decided to take on the portfolio of Secretary of Agriculture, at least for now. And at least until we can reorganize the Department of Agriculture in a way that will make it ready for the next years to come," Marcos said in a press conference on Monday.
Marcos said food prices are expected to increase until ''the next quarters''.
"Because we are forecasting a shortage or there will be an increase in food prices...that will come in the next quarters. Outside forces that will be impacting the food supply upon supply of feeds. We have been able in the Philippines to adjust to the situation in terms of the situation of Ukraine and Russia. The measures that we have taken will not be sufficient for the long run," he said.
Marcos added that he asked four government agencies to forecast what the country will face for the rest of the year.
"We have to plan in a more thorough fashion than just responding. I have asked the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), NEDA ( National Economic and Development Authority) and of course the Department of Finance, the DBM (Department of Budget and Management), I have asked them all to start to make a forecast…an economic forecast on what it is we think we will have to face for the rest of this year so that we can prepare,'' said Marcos.
Marcos also stressed the importance of going back to basics ''to rebuild the value chain of agriculture.''
"We have to change many things. We have other offices that are not being used much and need to be retool for the post pandemic. Because the things that we do now are different. We are going back to basics. You have heard it from me many times. We’re going back to basics. and we will rebuild the value chain of agriculture," he said.
He said that taking the agriculture portfolio shows that ''put a priority on the agricultural sector but also as a practical matter that things move quickly.''
Marcos said government should respond ''properly in a measured way as soon as there is a situation that needs to be addressed'' because events in the world economy ''are moving very quickly.''
He said one of the solutions to the serious food problem in the country is to increase agricultural production and to attend to many priorities ''simultaneously.''
"First of all will be to try and increase production as we come into the harvest period during, before and after the rainy season. Hopefully we can counteract some of the increases in prices, he said.
"The other priority which is equally important, although it is a long-term process, is the restructuring of the Department of Agriculture. As I have mentioned many times before, many of the agencies changed their function over the years," said Marcos.
"Maybe it’s time to return them, I talk about the organizations like the National Food Authority (NFA), the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), the Kadiwa which we have already started to see, especially at the local level. We have to restructure the actual department so as to be more responsive now when it comes to global food supply," he added. DMS
