LAST Monday, I served as one of the guest speakers in the Stratbase ADR Institute Business Roundtable Discussion on the topic 'Cultivating Investments in the Philippine Agro-Industrial Manufacturing for Food Security.' Instead of elaborating on the elements needed to attract private-sector investments, my presentation took the reverse route. I talked about why the private sector is largely hesitant on investing in the agri-food industry.

I noted that the last huge commercial investments in agriculture came in the 1960s and the 1970s with the entry of Dole, Del Monte, Stanfilco, etc., in our banana and pineapple industries. Such significant investments never took place with regard to other commodities such as coffee, cacao, mango, avocado, durian, etc., and even aquaculture despite the country having a comparative advantage.