Jaworski said his committee voted on the ban following the alarming decrease in the area of agricultural lands because of their conversion into golf courses, subdivisions and other non-agricultural uses.
He noted that conversions have become more marked because of the high profits involved in golf courses, compared to agricultural production, which is at the mercy of weather more than the industry of proponents.
He warned that unless these conversions are arrested, the country’s agriculture would continue to suffer.
He described the committee decision banning conversions as "a bold move to protect agricultural lands."
"The ban on conversion could help achieve goals of food security and food self-sufficiency," he predicted.
The committee-approved measure, titled "Land Use Act of 2002," is a consolidation of seven Senate bills.
It provides, among other things, that prime agricultural land and specific types of lands needed for self-sufficiency in rice, corn and other basic goods shall be protected from conversion. – Efren Danao