BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Vice-presidential candidate and Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III will keep on pushing for the procurement of 50 percent of the output of farmers by the government, at farm gate prices, which he said will boost the agriculture sector.
Sotto, was accompanied by his wife, Helen, and two daughters, Ciara and Lala, in campaign sorties yesterday in Bacolod City, said it is easy for the government to sell the farmers’ output.
Speaking before with about 600 Negrense farmers at the Paglaum Sports Complex in Bacolod City, Sotto disclosed “we have been doing it some provinces, and it’s working.”
Through this scheme, Sotto said the farmers will no longer be under the mercy of traders and middlemen, who may purchase the remaining 50 percent of their agricultural products.
“At all times, the government should be prepared to help our farmers,” Sotto said, stressing that 40 percent of the Filipino labor force works in the agriculture sector and contribute 20% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Asked if there is a budget for it, Sotto said ”for the last 10 years, an amount of P328 billion have been unused, excluding those being abused.”
He also blamed the importation and lack of implementation of laws that results in the sugar industry “dying,” citing the under-utilization of P2 billion annual budget in the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) and high prices of fertilizers.
Sotto also claimed that 40 percent of farm equipment being distributed to farmers have defects.
He also noted a low budget allocation in the research and development of the whole government, which is 0.04 percent for the P5 trillion budget in 2021.
If given a chance, Sotto said he and presidential bet Panfilo Lacson said their administration would buy 50 percent of the local farmers’ produce to boost the agriculture sector and cut the inflation rate.
Sotto also met with members of various transport groups in Negros Occidental at the Paglaum Sports Complex. He is also expected to hold campaign sorties today at the 888 Premier Mall in Bacolod City.*