For Agribusiness Not To Be Bloody, Sulong Pilipinas Must Be Tulong Pilipinas! Also, Must Be Digital

Finally! Someone saw and said it so. The agriculture sector is like a "sleeping giant" that needed "waking up," Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez said during the 2019 Agribusiness Summit held 17 December in Lanang, Davao City. That is to say:

In PH agriculture, the big potentials are there – alternatively, the big problems are there. (bird-flag image from Sulong Pilipinas Facebook page[1])

That was during the 10th-year Summit under "Sulong Pilipinas," a project of the Department of Finance, DoF. This Summit saw partnership with the Department of Agriculture, DA, as well as Department of Trade & Industry and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Public and private stakeholders were invited to Davao to work together. In the words of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie, this was towards "transforming traditional agri-fishery farms into inclusive, resilient and globally competitive agribusiness enterprises[2]." In the words of Secretary Dominguez, this was "how public-private partnership works. The government side delivers the medium. The private sector delivers the content. It is a productive symbiosis."

The strong partnership called for has as participants government, business and development partners, academe, youth organizations and others, where Sulong Pilipinas "seeks to build a truly inclusive economy, and work towards a comfortable life for all Filipinos."

Personally, as an indefatigable blogger and Internet hound, I am also intrigued by what Ambassador Babe Romualdez has to say, that the report from the iPrice Group, a meta-search website, is that[3]:

The Philippines is already ripe for further growth, especially since it's ranked among the top 10 countries in the world by mobile Internet usage and most time spent online, according to We Are Social and Hootsuite's annual digital research. This growth may be fueled by the rising e-commerce platforms and activities in the country.

I say digital is where innovative minds should go. With "rising e-commerce platforms and activities" – even remote farmers can tap the markets anywhere in the world anytime.

One of the recommendations of Sulong Pilipinas 2019 is this[4]:

... In different fields (including in medicine), the Department of Science and Technology, with the private sector, should make grants available to (digital) startups and enable technology transfers.

Not only digital. I say the grants should also cover innovative technical startups by entrepreneurial youth and adults, the number being limitless.

Of the 10th Summit[5]:

This collaboration between DA and DOF with private sector stakeholders is expected to make for a more robust agribusiness sector founded on Dar's eight paradigms of the 'New Thinking' for agriculture, which includes modernization and industrialization, among other crucial elements in sectoral transformation.

Excellent!

"The best is coming," Ambassador Romualdez says. I agree.

Now then: I say that for Sulong Pilipinas (Advance Philippines), to bring about the change everyone wants nationally, and sooner, it must transform itself into Tulong Pilipinas (Assist Philippines) – PH farmers and fishers must be assisted economically by the public & private sectors, and technically via the Internet, to rise from poverty to prosperity – and stay there!@517

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[1]https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Sulong-Pilipinas-204147682951661/

[2]https://business.mb.com.ph/2019/12/15/agriculture-to-highlight-sulong-pilipinas-2019/

[3]https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2019/12/22/1978877/phl-agriculture-best-coming?fbclid=IwAR1ERehIdl3S8sJ4CYmOAszRo_UAv-UDausfCzTPp3VHzAZ3sJi6l6eGjuE

[4]https://www.dof.gov.ph/index.php/advocacies/sulong-pilipinas/

[5]https://business.mb.com.ph/2019/12/15/agriculture-to-highlight-sulong-pilipinas-2019/