BROAD coalition Sinag urged the government to halt additional imports amid weather disturbances that disrupted agricultural production.
This, as agricultural damage caused by the southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay, and Neneng climbed to P1.73 billion, based on the latest government report.
Sinag Executive Director Jayson Cainglet said temporary supply and logistical disruptions due to the typhoons should not warrant increased importation.
‘When our farmers suffer production losses, the appropriate policy response should first be to restore their capacity to produce-not replace their production with imports,’ Cainglet said.
Instead, he called for strengthened government procurement of agricultural goods as stipulated under the Sagip Saka Act.
‘Directly procuring from farmers will provide immediate assistance to affected marginal producers, backyard raisers and small fish famers while supplying government programs with locally produced food,’ Cainglet said.
‘This is more sustainable than short-term rescue buying photo-ops and more beneficial than relying on imported products,’ he added.
The government, he said, should adopt a ‘non-negotiable local production first’ policy whenever agricultural supply is disrupted.
‘Many agricultural crops can be replanted and harvested within a relatively short period,’ Cainglet said.
‘For affected farmers, the difference between recovery and another season of losses may simply be immediate and easy access to seeds, fertilizer, credit, production assistance and a guaranteed market.’
He noted that a short-term supply gap should not be addressed through a policy that creates a long-term production deficit.
Cainglet also said that while an import decision could address inflation, its consequences can extend beyond the immediate crisis.
‘More often than not, imports arrive just as local farmers begin harvesting again, the resulting increase in market supply will only depress farmgate prices.’
With this, he stressed that imports should only be the last resort.
‘We must structurally shift from an import-first response toward a production-first strategy,’ Cainglet said.
‘The current weather-related disruption should be treated as an opportunity to strengthen-not weaken-Philippine agriculture,’ he added.