SENATOR Robinhood Padilla filed a measure that will grant free tertiary agricultural education and other related courses to all children of indigent farmers.

Senate Bill 2055 or the proposed Free Tertiary Agricultural Education Act aims to incentivize the younger generation to consider pursuing a career in agriculture. It will also provide them with accessible education and training on the latest agricultural principles and techniques.

The bill also seeks to uplift and motivate agricultural research, which is crucial to the sector’s quest for development.

Padilla said that the agricultural sector has long been considered the backbone of the Philippine economy.

He added that it plays a significant role in economic development, accounting for around 9 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and providing employment to more than 20 percent of the country’s labor force.

The senator said that one of the major issues plaguing the agricultural sector is the declining interest of students to enroll in agricultural courses.

Data from the Commission on Higher Education revealed that from 2016 to 2021, the number of enrollees in agriculture programs in state colleges and universities dropped by 34.6 percent while the number of graduates decreased by 28.4 percent.

“This decline in the number of students enrolling in agricultural courses is a cause for concern, as it indicates a lack of interest among the youth to pursue careers in the agricultural sector,” Padilla said in his explanatory note.

He said it is crucial to encourage more students to enroll in agricultural courses to ensure the sector’s continued growth and development.