Housing developers buck planned ban on agri land conversionSocialized and economic housing developers yesterday said the Philippines has higher agricultural lands compared to other ASEAN countries but lags behind in productivity. Low-cost housing (Photo courtesy of www.realestate.ph)“Our agricultural lands actually increased by 9.5 percent based on 2005 to 2013 data,” the statement said. The Philippines has more agricultural lands compared to some of our ASEAN neighbors but our agricultural productivity is significantly lower. Based on this, the group has asked authorities to reconsider the proposed moratorium on agricultural land conversion and set aside the draft Executive Order. To ensure food security, OSHDP said, “the way forward is to boost agricultural land productivity and not to restrict access to land.

Source: Manila Bulletin October 10, 2016 14:13 UTC