Arturo Tanco

Arturo R. Tanco Jr. ( 1933 - April 18, 1985 in Manila ) was a Filipino politician who was both long-time Agriculture Minister and President of the World Food Council (WFC).

Life

After attending school, Tanco initially studied in the Philippines and later completed postgraduate studies in management at Cornell University and Harvard University . He also helped establish the Agricultural Research Center for Southeast Asia (Southeast Asia Research Center for Agriculture) and was also director of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños .

In 1970 he entered the government service and was appointed Minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources ( Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources ) by President Ferdinand Marcos as the successor to the previous Vice-President Fernando López . After the two departments separated in May 1974, he remained Minister of Agriculture. During his tenure, which lasted until 1984, he was particularly responsible for growing the production of rice , maize and vegetables . Under his leadership, the Philippines succeeded in overcoming the chronic rice shortage and, through the Masagana 99 rice production program, became a rice exporting country itself . He also introduced a similar program in maize production. Tanco also used advertising in the press and electronic media to encourage farmers to intensify cultivation .

In 1977 he was also elected President of the World Food Council and held this position until 1981. During his term of office, he supported the establishment of the International Fund for Agricultural Development on November 30, 1977, which he saw as a response to cyclical food shortages. In 1978 the Department of Agriculture established twelve offices in the regions of the Philippines .

In June 1984 he resigned from his ministerial office after he had previously suffered an election defeat and had not been re-elected as a member of Congress (Batasang Pambansa) . His successor as Minister was the previous Vice Minister Salvador H. Escudero III .

Background literature

• Maurice F. Strong: Ending hunger through sustainable development (Arturo Tanco Memorial Lecture Publication / The Hunger Project), 1989

Web links

• History of the Philippine Ministry of Agriculture
• THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Meet Arturo Tanco, a technocrat who tends the vital farming front (September 19, 1980)
• THE NEW YORK TIMES: Arturo Tanco Jr., 51; A Former Filipino Aide (April 19, 1985)