Statement of Senator JV Ejercito on PBBM’s Agricultural Policies
July 20, 2022
The Philippines is currently facing an impending food crisis, aggravated by a deluge of agricultural products brought into the country through both lawful and unlawful means, as we struggle to recover from the crippling impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and our present economic woes.
As the principal sponsor of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act and a staunch advocate for the protection of our agricultural sector, I firmly believe that President BBM’s proposals to reduce our reliance on imports and crack down on agricultural smuggling will protect our farmers and their produce, improve local agricultural productivity, and push down prices.
We have the policies and mechanisms to curb the increasing inflation in our country, as well as respond to the disastrous effects of smuggling excessive imports. We are well-equipped to meet the challenge before us. We just need to fully implement them; President BBM is on the right track in doing just that.
In addition to thes, in the upcoming 19th Congress, I have filed a bill on the establishment of Agri-Food Terminal and Trading Centers in every province with the aim of promoting and boosting our local agricultural market, thereby increasing opportunities for greater proceeds and earnings of our farmers.
Complementary to this is our continuous call on the proper implementation of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.