President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has sought the cooperation of the private sector to provide support to the farmers.

In a Facebook post, Marcos shared photos of his meeting with members of the Private Sector Advisory Council at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Thursday.

Marcos, who concurrently serves as the agriculture czar, said he was “excited” to partner with the private sector in improving the agricultural sector.

“I thank the members of the Private Sector Advisory Council for joining us in a meeting to discuss and exchange ideas about scaling up our agricultural sector,” he said. “It is refreshing to hear ideas from them, and I’m excited to establish programs with the cooperation of the private sector to help our farmers.”

Marcos, however, did not elaborate on the specific programs that he intends to implement to boost the agriculture industry.

In a press briefing on July 5, Marcos vowed to look for long-term solutions to address the problems plaguing the country’s agriculture sector.

He made the commitment as he stressed that having “robust” agriculture is key to building a stronger economy.

Marcos also emphasized the need to boost the production of staples such as rice and corn, as well as livestock and fisheries.

He said one of the short-term solutions is to increase food production for the rest of 2022.

He also vowed to look for ways to address the food price crisis.

“We still have to feed our people and so, we still have to find strategies to make sure that those who are in need are supported by the government as best as we can do,” Marcos said. (PNA)