Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30) — Citing the country’s high food import dependency, focus must be given to the agriculture sector when dealing with the coronavirus impact on the economy, according to George Barcelon, president emeritus of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Our importation for food is almost about 40 to 50 percent,” Barcelon, who is also the private sector representative to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, told CNN Philippines on Thursday.
“So if you look at what sectors we should really focus on for long term sustainability, it is really agriculture,” he said.
According to Barcelon, the government must pursue policies on food self-sufficiency in order to enjoy long-term sustainability. While the Philippines is “lagging behind other countries due to lack of productivity and infrastructure,” he insisted that these conditions can be improved.
“We have countries, such as Israel, that are very interested in helping us,” he said.
Barcelon also noted that some sectors, including tourism, may take some time to recover from the pandemic. He said many of the manufacturing businesses may likewise not be able to come back in full force due to a sharp decrease in demand.
“The export sector is also badly affected, because North America and the European market have gone down quite a bit,” he added.
Earlier, the labor department announced they are targeting to generate one million jobs in provinces as part of its COVID-19 recovery plan, with the outbreak leaving over two million Filipinos jobless. Barcelon said those employed in micro, small, and medium enterprises in the provinces must be given major financial and skills support in order to restart.
He also stressed the importance of testing “the majority of the population” for COVID-19, so that those who are healthy may be separated and “can still be productive.”
