Backward

SCHOLARS, politicians, media commentators and just plain policy kibitzers all wail about the backward nature of our agricultural sector. Recently, opinion pieces from highly respected economists like Gerardo Sicat and Cielito Habito stressed the need of improving the performance of our agriculture sector if the economy is to attain high and sustained growth, and successfully address the widespread malnutrition among our people, particularly kids.

While there is a universal consensus on the backward status of the sector, conflicting ideas on how to make our countryside efficient and competitive vary from sector to sector depending on the interest they represent. The Left and local producers want to maintain perpetual protection for the sector through high tariffs and massive subsidies to enable it to become efficient and competitive with foreign counterparts.