The irony in mandatory lending

Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Francis N. Pangilinan spoke the truth when he said that for the Philippines “to reach developed nation status in the next 10 to 15 years,” it should “put farmers, fisherfolk and agricultural communities first.”

When we talk about steady and sustainable economic growth, the importance of having a strong agriculture sector cannot be overemphasized as it accounts for 30 percent of the country’s total land area and 30.4 percent of the 37.94 million employed Filipinos in January 2013.