Abra lawmaker pushes for agri support to avert food crisis

BANGUED, Abra — The government must prioritize agriculture now to prevent a looming food crisis driven by volatile oil prices, Abra Rep. Joseph B. Bernos said.

Mr. Bernos warned that rising fuel costs — flagged by Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin as likely to stay elevated due to Middle East disruptions — are driving farm inputs and squeezing margins.

Without sustained support, he said, farmers and fisherfolk may abandon production altogether. “The entire country will suffer if farmers and fisherfolk turn their backs to their livelihoods,” he said in Filipino.

He cautioned that prolonged high oil prices could be the “final nail in the coffin” for small producers already struggling with thin returns, with reports of crops left unsold to avoid losses.

To stabilize food supply, Mr. Bernos urged immediate steps to cut production costs, through the procurement of cheaper fertilizer and seeds, wider access to mechanization, and stronger post-harvest systems, alongside scaling up local biofertilizer production to reduce reliance on imports and cushion the sector from global price instability. — Artemio A. Dumlao