I listened very carefully to the State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, and I commend his full support to leveling up the country’s agriculture sector by investing in programs to increase the incomes of smallholder farmers and fisherfolk. This is a very powerful message from the President, as it clearly emphasizes increasing the income of agricultural smallholders. In relation to that, the main objective of the “New Thinking for Agriculture” is to double the income of farmers and fisherfolk in five years or even less. And it can be done!

Dar, W. (2019, July 25). Increasing the income of farmers and fisherfolk. The Manila Times, p. B5.