MANILA — A farmers' group on Sunday called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to quit the Department of Agriculture (DA) and appoint "a full-time, hardworking, and sincere agriculture secretary."

"We need a... secretary who knows how to listen to the situation and demands of farmers and agriculture stakeholders. It is obvious that the President cannot fulfill his task as the agriculture secretary, with him being the concurrent Chief Executive and Commander-In-Chief," Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) chairperson Danilo Ramos said in a statement.

Ramos added that Marcos should not have taken the responsibility to head the DA, as this move "further undermines our food security and food self-sufficiency."

Senators Koko Pimentel and Risa Hontiveros earlier made calls for Marcos to appoint a new DA chief.

The President's sister herself, Sen. Imee Marcos, had also earlier said that it may be time to name a new agriculture secretary, given her brother's "busy schedule."

But Marcos rejected these calls, saying that he thinks he's "still needed there."

"Problems are so difficult that it will take a president to change and turn it around," he said.

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KMP also noted that during Marcos' meeting with members of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), he allegedly "snubbed the farmers' proposals in Agriculture and chose to listen only to business executives."

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The group also pointed out that PSAC's agriculture sector advisory group is mostly made up of executives from leading companies in food processing, livestock, canning, and repacking.

"These business executives are insulated from high prices and hunger. We cannot expect them to propose solutions that will benefit the majority," Ramos said.

"Marcos's group of advisers obviously have business and profit as their top priorities. Farmers and food producers on the other hand, are proposing concrete and actionable measures on how to boost local food production, how to genuinely develop the agriculture sector, and protect farmers and consumers alike from inflation shocks," KMP also said.

The group also urged Marcos Jr. to listen and heed the demands of farmers, fisherfolk and food producers "to genuinely strengthen agriculture and fight hunger."

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