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The Department of Agriculture is encouraging retirees who want to invest their money in the agriculture business to first undergo appropriate training on farming and related skills.
The DA official urged Filipinos who opt to resort to farming after retiring to prepare themselves and acquire the needed knowledge and skills for it. I Photo: Department of Agriculture
During the Saturday News Forum, DA Spokesman and Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa revealed that based on studies, there are many retirees who venture into farming but fail to sustain it due to a lack of training, preparation, and knowledge.
“Some people think that in using their retirement money on farming, everything is just easy and okay. But agriculture is a science. It’s not advisable to just venture into it when you do not have enough training because you would just face the risk of draining or losing your hard-earned money,” he emphasized.
The DA official urged Filipinos who opt to resort to farming after retiring to prepare themselves and acquire the needed knowledge and skills for it.
“Long before your retirement, and you’re planning to start a business in agriculture, you should already invest in your training. This way, you will have a higher success rate in your investment,” he highlighted.
De Mesa noted that about 20 percent of the population in the Philippines is engaged in the agriculture sector, and this sector continues to provide income and employment to many Filipinos.
He added that agriculture contributes about 9-10 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country.
De Mesa elaborated, “About 1/5 of our country’s total population is engaged in agriculture in one way or another. Based on the latest data, the median age of most farmers in the Philippines is at 56 and 57, just like in other countries such as Korea and Japan. But the difference is that their farming system is highly mechanized so even older women are capable of managing farm activities.”
He shared that the Philippine government aspires to also push for substantial mechanization in the country’s agriculture. De Mesa underscored the importance of mechanization in agriculture in increasing production and making the farmers’ lives easier and better.
