President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday pushed for the full use of modern and high-tech agricultural technologies in the country, saying it is the best way to attract more young Filipinos into farming and reverse the aging trend of the sector.

Speaking at a dialogue with this year’s 43 Gawad Saka awardees at the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija, Marcos said the government is determined to transform the farming profession into a viable and productive career for the younger generation.

“Ang average age ng ating mga magsasaka at mga mangingisda ay masyado nang mataas dahil nga mahirap ang buhay ng magsasaka (The average age of our farmers and fisherfolk is now too high because the life of a farmer is difficult),” Marcos said.

He said the youth are often drawn to white-collar office jobs with air conditioning and better comfort, adding that the only way to reverse this is to make farming more “interesting” to the youth.

“Kailangan natin pumasok sa mga bagong teknolohiya… Ang nakakaunawa at mga practitioner ng high-tech agriculture ay ang mga kabataan. Sila ang magtuturo sa atin ng mga bagong teknolohiya (We need to adopt new technologies… Those who understand and can practice high-tech agriculture are the youth. They will teach us these new technologies),” he said.

Utilizing technology in agriculture can increase productivity and create results that can inspire young Filipinos to see farming as a viable livelihood, Marcos added.

The President noted that decades of neglect have left the agriculture sector behind, but assured farmers that under his administration: “Babaguhin natin lahat ‘yan (We will change all of that).” (PNA)