Kalap's 'agribusiness ecosystem' is a system of dispossessing farmers and abusing agri-workers – UMA

THE Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) wishes to respond to the article "Creating a robust agribusiness ecosystem" published last August 24. It was bylined by former Agriculture secretary William Dar, but spoke on behalf of the private sector-led initiative Go Negosyo Kapatid Angat Lahat Agri Program (Kalap).

On the surface, its call to mobilize the private sector to boost Philippine agriculture by assisting smallholder farmers appears laudable. With the prices of basic food commodities skyrocketing — rice now fetches almost P60 per kilogram (kg), triple Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s campaign promise of P20 — any support for Filipino food producers should be welcomed.