Farmers group to Dar: Set pro-poor, pro-farmer agri agenda

Dr. William Dar, left, in San Jacinto, Pangasinan. (Facebook photo)

LUCENA CITY, Philippines-–National farmers group Kilusan para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo at Katarungang Panlipunan (Katarungan) welcomed the appointment of William Dar as acting secretary of the Department of Agriculture, describing him as a “breath of fresh air” in President Duterte’s official family.

“We hope that your assumption to office is a breath of fresh air and that you will not fail the long-suffering Filipino farmers,” Jansept Geronimo, spokesperson of Katarungan said in a statement Tuesday.

He said that with Dar’s appointment, farmers have high hopes that the negative trends in the agriculture sector and the bankruptcy of small farmers would be reversed.

“As a scientist and real agriculture expert, we expect Secretary William Dar to set an agriculture agenda that is pro-poor and pro-food producers,” he added.