Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship

Improving Agri Incomes should be DA’s Priority — Sen. Bam Aquino

Ensuring that farmers’ incomes improve year on year should be among the priorities of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

This was a point made by Senator Bam Aquino, at Monday’s Senate hearing on the DA’s 2014 budget.

According to the DA’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), the average net income of an agricultural household in the Philippines is at least Php61,000 per year or just a little over Php5,000 per month. Some reports say that coconut farmers are among the country’s poorest of the poor, earning an average of only Php23,000 per year.

“We need to make the agricultural sector more attractive, to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the sector,” Sen. Aquino said.  “We need to make sure that as our production levels are rising, our income levels are rising as well.”

The lawmaker likewise proposed that ensuring the improvement of farmers’ annual incomes be a part of the DA’s performance indicators.

He added, “Even if we’re increasing our level of production but our farmers are still earning this level of income, mahihirapan talaga tayo (it’s going to be very hard for us) to achieve our targets.”

“The agricultural sector can make a big difference in our push for inclusive growth, but that means nobody should be left behind as we work to improve our productivity. Hindi puwedeng naiiwan ang mga magsasaka at naghihirap pa rin sila habang umaangat ang ekonomiya ng bansa. Kailangang magkasabay ang pag-akyat ng produksyon sa pag-angat ng mga kita ng mga pamilyang nakasalalay sa agrikultura.”

 

Bam Lauds Agri Investments in Davao del Sur

Senator Bam Aquino lauded the Department of Trade and Industry’s approval of six shared service facilities (SSF) worth P2 million in Davao del Sur, which are meant to boost the production of coco vinegar, kakanin, coco shellcraft, muscovado sugar, as well as cacao beans fermentation and coco coir processing.

“Our farmers and agri-entrepreneurs need a lot of support,” said Sen. Aquino, “and the SSFs can provide that much-needed push for them to boost production, improve their quality, and even create additional income through off-farm activities.”

“We congratulate the DTI for this project, and we hope that more SSFs can be built in more strategic locations throughout the Philippine countryside,” the senator added.

The DTI has a total of P700 million allocated for the SSF program, under which facilities may be shared by beneficiaries such as cooperatives, institutions, and communities. The DTI likewise hopes that more micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will avail themselves of this program.

Aside from the six SSFs in Davao del Sur, three more project proposals “are targeted to be approved before the 2013 ends,” according to the DTI.

According to DTI-DS officer-in-charge Eulogio Orevillo, “It is our hope that [entrepreneurs and agricultural cooperatives] will improve their business especially in terms of profit by increasing their production volume and enhancing product quality. These we can easily achieve with the help of the SSFs.”

“The SSFs are one concrete–and, we hope, effective–way of supporting our farmers and agri-entrepreneurs, but we really need to push for rural development and more investments in the Philippine countryside,” Sen. Aquino pointed out. “Poverty is most severe in the rural areas, and we need more government interventions and PPPs (public-private partnerships) here to generate jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for our people.”

Photo source: Mindanews.com

Mga Pinoy, Nangunguna sa Inobasyon Laban sa Kahirapan — Sen. Bam Aquino

Nasa Berlin, Germany si Senator Bam Aquino upang makipagpulong sa iba’t-ibang mga senior policymakers sa Asya at Europa ukol sa mga inobasyon sa paglaban sa kahirapan.

Ayon kay Aquino, na naparangalan na sa loob at labas ng bansa para sa kanyang programang nagbibigay ng kabuhayan sa mga mahihirap na pamilya at nagpapalago sa mga pinakamaliliit na negosyo, “Isa itong pagkakataon para matuto sa mga gawain at ‘best practices’ ng ibang bansa para malabanan ang kahirapan sa Pilipinas.”

Dagdag ng batang senador, “Isa rin itong magandang pagkakataon para ibahagi ang naging karanasan nating mga Pilipino sa paglaban sa kahirapan, sa pamamagitan ng makabuluhang pagnenegosyo.”

Ayon sa Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), na kasama ng British Council ay isa sa mga organizer ng naturang policy dialogue, layunin ng conference na suportahan ang paglago ng mga negosyong direktang tumutulong sa mga mahihirap at nag-aangat sa antas ng pamumuhay ng masang Pilipino. Layunin rin nitong paigtingin ang pagtutulungan ng mga bansa sa Asya at Europa para tapusin ang kahirapan sa buong mundo.

Dagdag ni Sen. Bam, “Matagal nang nangunguna ang mga Pinoy sa ganitong klase ng pagnenegosyo na tumutulong sa mga mahihirap. Naniniwala tayo na sa pamamagitan ng mga makabuluhang batas at polisiya, mapapalago pa natin ang sektor na ito at maipapakita sa mundo kung paano natin nilalabanan ang kahirapan sa makabagong paraan.”

Photo courtesy of Go Negosyo

“Bayanihan Economy” Key to Achieving Inclusive Growth — Sen. Bam Aquino

Speaking at the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Expo of the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) on July 5, Sen. Bam Aquino talked about how a “bayanihan economy” can help the Philippines achieve inclusive growth.

The term “bayanihan economy”, coined by former NEDA Director Dr. Cielito Habito, speaks of an economy where “all players work together toward a shared goal of uplifting the lives of all.”

According to Aquino, who was pointing to a classic visual depiction of rural folk lifting a nipa hut as a display of bayanihan, “You don’t know anymore if the guys lifting the house are the owners, their neighbors, or are passersby who offered to help. In bayanihan, everyone has a role to play.”

A former social entrepreneur who has won local and international awards for his micro-enterprise program Hapinoy, Aquino identified possible interventions that can help the Philippines move closer toward a “bayanihan economy.” These are:

1. Micro-finance. According to Aquino, there are currently around 4.5 million micro-finance borrowers in the country. “But the current capacity of microfinance institutions can accommodate another six million borrowers, which means that through micro-finance we can have six million more potential micro-entrepreneurs who can lift their families out of poverty.”

2. Social enterprise development. “Social enterprises are the missing middle, connecting large corporations and small communities,” Aquino said. Citing his experience in developing the Hapinoy program, Aquino said that the willingness to help of large companies is there but the capacity to reach the community is sometimes unavailable. He also added, “The role of social enterprise is to make sure that these communities and companies get to talk and work together.”

3. MSME development. Aquino cited the large contribution of micro- and small enterprises (MSMEs) to the Philippine economy, pointing out that 92 percent of all businesses in the Philippines are micro-enterprises that largely belong to the informal sector, while only seven percent belong to the small and medium category. “Sadly, MSME’s don’t get enough support from the government.” One of his priority bills, Aquino said, is to help create a more “enabling environment” for MSMEs “beyond entrepreneurial training.”

“More MSMEs are able to provide more employment than large corporations,” the first-time lawmaker added as another reason for helping boost MSMEs.

4. Youth entrepreneurship. “Youth unemployment is one of the largest problems not only of youth in the Philippines, but also in the entire world,” Aquino pointed out.

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