Farmers want 25,000 agricultural extension workers returned to DA

November 26, 2024 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Farmers’ groups on Monday pushed for the return of at least 25,000 agricultural extension workers to the Department of Agriculture (DA) from local governments units (LGUs).

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and the Magsasaka party-list said the devolution of farm workers under the Local Government Code of 1991 has resulted in a structural disconnect in the implementation of programs of the DA. 

“The removal of DA’s direct line supervision over the field extension force has caused the delayed delivery of seeds, fertilizer, technical and other support services to the country’s ten million farmers. It has badly hampered the effective execution and monitoring of national programs for the rural sector. All this has led to food production shortfalls and higher prices,” FFF board chairman Leonardo Montemayor said.

For his part, Magsasaka party-list president Argel Joseph Cabatbat said farm programs in provinces, cities and municipalities are neglected as governors and mayors give low priority to agriculture.

Cabatbat added that many agricultural workers are assigned as drivers, security guards and similar duties instead of visiting farmers in their fields and preventing the spread of plant and animal diseases like the African swine fever (ASF). 

“Even the registration and selection of recipients of cash, farm inputs and equipment subsidies from the national government have been politicized,” he added.

Montemayor pointed out that devolution has curtailed the pay, career advancement and other incentives being enjoyed by rural extensionists when they were DA employees.

“Once renationalized, farm technicians will receive substantially bigger compensation and benefits from a ladderized promotion system,” Montemayor said.

Senate President Francis Escudero and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. have agreed to work together for the renationalization of the agriculture sector after many of its services were devolved to the LGUs. 

Escudero recalled that the programs related to the agriculture sector were devolved after the passage of the Local Government Code of 1991.

Tiu Laurel said the reversion of the functions would allow the DA to immediately implement its programs down to the barangay level and make the process “simpler” to achieve the government’s goals.