SENATE, Pasay City — In giving recognition to the contributions of farm workers in the country's food production and overall economy, Senator Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios 'Imee' Marcos is eyeing to provide minimum wage to farmers and farm workers. who belong to one of the poorest sectors of society.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)'s 2021 Family Income and Expenditure Survey, farmers remain as one of the poorest sectors in Philippine society with a poverty incidence rate of 30 percent in 2021, lower than the 31.6 percent in 2018.

PSA also recorded that rural residents, most of whom are primarily employed in agriculture, registered the highest number of poor individuals in 2021 at 13.67 million.

In view of the worrisome statistics, Senator Marcos filed Senate Bill (SB) 2851 to give support to the agriculture sector and in recognizing it as the backbone of our country's economy.

However, the lady senator has noted how Philippine agriculture in real terms has been declining.
"Under SB 2851, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is mandated to provide income support for farmers to incentivize agriculture in the country," she cited.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s sister added that along side the ciuntry' s economic growth in the past 10 years at 5.8 percent per annum, the agricultural sector also grew by an average of 1.0 percent per year.
Based on PSA data, as of November 2023, the agriculture sector employed 12.19 million individuals or 24.6 percent of the labor force while creating 1.24 million new jobs as compared to November 2022.

"However, despite this development, the sector's contribution to national income has been declining. This data is further captured by the official government statistics. Given the factors stated above, it is imperative for the government to guarantee a minimum wage for the country's agricultural workers," " Sen. Marcos pointed out.