DA’s Agri-Puhunan Program (APP) Vs FAH’s Agri-Sensya Program (ASP) – Subsidy Vs Science To Enrich Farmers!

On his birthday 13 Sept 2024, ANN says PH Pres Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr launched at Guimba in Nueva Ecija a program “aimed at assisting rice farmer-members of agricultural cooperatives across 1.2 million hectares nationwide” (Author Not Named, 13 Sept 2024, “President Marcos Unveils DA’s Agri-Puhunan Program, Targeting 1.2 Million Hectares With Low-Cost Credit And Market Support,” DA, da.gov.ph).

Subsidies. The APP needs billions upon billions of pesos to provide all the millions of poor farmers with subsidies. PH cannot afford all that!
(image from gov.capital)

Like I said earlier (see my article “Marcos’ Wish On His 67th Birthday 13 Sept 2024, “Improved Lives Of Filipino Farmers” – Hilario’s Wish, “Raising Farmers From Poverty To Prosperity” As An Ilocano Son Of A Farmer,” 15 Sept 2024, Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages (ComDev2), blogspot.com), the DA’s APP is a “Survival Program” and FAH’s is Agri-Sensya Program (ASP), a “Revival Program.” Survive, able to get by – Revive, via Science, able to bring back to health, improve life. With ASP, our farmers not only survive but surmount their poverty and prosper with help of science while employing their energies.

According to Statista, 2.37 million Filipino farmers were poor in 2021 (statista.com). Subsidies: When will the APP reach those millions of poor farmers, and how will it raise those billions upon billions of pesos needed to help them?

At any rate, even assuming that the DA can raise the billions upon billions of pesos needed, the farmers will still be burdened by the high costs of inputs – expensive fertilizers and pesticides.

An Ilocano, I think in terms of inut (thrift), and so I think in terms of the science called Regenerative Agriculture (RA). Because RA is Ilocano-like low-cost, it will eliminate the billions upon billions of pesos of inputs and replace them with inexpensive inputs, as suggested by this RA list of science:

1, Cover Cropping
2, Crop Rotation
3, Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry)
4, Green Manuring
5, Intercropping
6, Multiple Cropping
7, No-Till Farming
8, Organic Fertilization
9, Ratooning
10, Rotational Grazing
11, “Three Sisters” Planting
12, Trap Cropping
13, Trash Mulching.

Although I am not an economist, I think that to finance those 13 practices for millions of Filipino farmers would not require PhP 130 billion but only PhP 130 million to disseminate the regenerative science to farmers nationwide!

That’s why I wrote earlier, “Marcos’ Wish On His 67th Birthday 13 Sept 2024, “Improved Lives Of Filipino Farmers” – Hilario’s Wish, “Raising Farmers From Poverty To Prosperity” As An Ilocano Son Of A Farmer” (15 Sept 2024, Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages, blogspot.com),

I am still dreaming that I will celebrate my birthday this coming Tuesday with a conscience-stricken (and science-driven) PH Department of Agriculture. If my dream is to come true, BBM will have to return William Dar as Secretary of Agriculture because it is only he among the many appointed DA heads who has the necessary Vision and Mission to lead the Filipino farmers from Poverty to Prosperity! Science-revived DA!@517