OPPOSITION Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday urged government to implement true agrarian reform to enable landless farmers to live decently, improve their income and provide proper education and nutrition to their families.

Of the country’s estimated labor force of 36 million, close to 40 percent are directly and indirectly engaged in agriculture.

“The lack of political will on the part of this administration to redistribute land in rural areas, and its inability to provide basic farming resources has kept farmers poor and stymied production,” he added.

Escudero stressed that a continuing situation such as this, where farmers are mired in poverty, could lead to a repetition of the Nov. 16, 2004 labor protest over workers’ benefits and wages at Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.

The incident resulted in the death of seven peasants who were shot dead by a combined force of police and military personnel who tried to enforce an order from the Department of Labor to assume jurisdiction over the strike.

Data from the Department of Agriculture show that farm output growth in the second quarter of 2009 missed targets.

It was also the slowest in four years at .87 percent and was markedly lower than the 5.4 percent recorded during the same period a year ago.

“Lack of opportunities in rural areas has only led to the inequitable distribution of or limited access to resources. And until this is addressed, many farmers will continue to wallow in poverty,” Escudero stressed.