Fresh graduates to get free education in farming

Agriculture and fisheries graduates will get free education in farming under a bill establishing the
youth farming program.
Rep. Delphine Gan Lee (Party-list, AGR! authored "ouse #ill $%&', which intends to e(uip the
youth with the necessary technical and entrepreneurial s)ills to help them contribute to food security and
generate employment in the rural areas.
*n strengthening youth farming sector, the young agriculture and fisheries graduates shall be
encouraged to engage in agribusiness and support them to become entrepreneurs,+ Lee said.
,he bill will co-er all graduates of agriculture, fisheries, or agribusiness course and presently
unemployed or a college graduate of any course but presently engaged in agriculture or fisheries, or
agribusiness course.
*n enlisting young and competent entrepreneurs, the measure shall impro-e the competiti-eness
of the agricultural and fisheries sectors. demonstrating the high income potential in agribusiness thru
-alue-adding acti-ities, and emphasi/ing to the youth their indispensable role in nation-building and
economic de-elopment,+ Lee said.
Lee said an a-erage 0ilipino farmer, who is older than all of his Asian counterparts, is less
recepti-e to modern technologies due to its high cost and the lac) of technical )now-how to operate them.
*f we are to be competiti-e in the A12A3 2conomic 4ommunity in 5678, the go-ernment
should inculcate in the 0ilipino youth the dedication and commitment to be effecti-e partners for the
continued impro-ement of our agricultural and fisheries sector through entrepreneurship and
agribusiness,+ Lee said.
*,he migration of young farmers to urban centers or abroad will bring to a halt by generating
better employment opportunities in the countryside,+ Lee added.
,hose who will be included in the 9outh 0armer 2ntrepreneur (902! shall undergo training to be
conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA!, in coordination with 1tate 4olleges and :ni-ersities
(14:!.
:nder the bill, an e;ecuti-e committee to be composed of fi-e members shall be created to
implement the program.
,he e;ecuti-e committee shall o-ersee and monitor the implementation of the program and shall
promulgate the rules and regulations and adopt rules of procedures to effecti-ely carry out the pro-isions
of the proposed act.
Li)ewise, the Local Go-ernment :nits (LG:s! are mandated to support the program through
additional counterpart funding assistance, production, processing and technical and mar)eting support.
($6! jc
NR # 3533B
JULY 20, 2014