Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced its need for at least 23,000 agriculturists to serve as extension workers, aiming to provide direct support to Filipino farmers. This call for manpower follows the recent release of the November Agriculturists Licensure Examination results by the Professional Regulation Commission, where 6,678 out of 9,742 examinees successfully passed.

According to Philippines News Agency, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. emphasized the DA's ongoing coordination with the Commission on Higher Education to ensure that educational curriculums are aligned with the agency's demands. He highlighted the importance of reinstating agriculture courses in state universities and colleges (SUCs), along with veterinary courses under the newly enacted Animal Industry Act.

'Once we have these extension workers on the ground, real-time na ngayon lahat ng information namin at (all our information will now be real-time and) more accurate,' Tiu Laurel stated. With the implementation of real-time data gathering, the DA plans to enhance its DA Statistics Office, utilizing the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) solely for validation purposes.

Tiu Laurel further explained that extension workers would play a crucial role in improving the feedback mechanism, particularly in addressing field issues such as delays in the distribution of seeds and fertilizers, as well as fluctuations in the prices of palay (unhusked rice).

Expressing confidence in the support from the Marcos administration for potential government agriculturists, Tiu Laurel noted, 'Field work is very attractive, especially if you're paid well or properly, and helping farmers and fisher folks.' He added, 'Actually, that's why I'm here, that's why I'm doing this job, because I see fulfillment, especially when I go on the ground.'