The Department of Agriculture (DA) sought for the support of Congress for the provision of an additional P12 billion, on top of the recommended P95-billion budget for 2022, to address mounting food and agriculture global challenges.
For this year, Congress approved a budget of P85.6 billion for the DA.
In a statement, DA Secretary William Dar said the additional budget will help make the local agriculture sector resilient amid the mutating new coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, increasing prices of petrol, fertilizers and feeds, climate change, population dynamics, urbanization aging farmers and the prevention of the entry of transboundary animal and plant diseases.
“These global challenges will continue to impact adversely on food production, distribution, and consumption next year and beyond. Hence, in the case of the Philippines and we at the Department of Agriculture, there is a felt need for bigger budgetary support,” Dar said.
In a letter addressed to the Senate and the House of Representatives, Dar said of the proposed P12- billion augmentation, P8.9 billion will go to fertilizer subsidy; P2 billion as additional budget for corn program; and P1.1 billion for urban agriculture.
Dar added despite the additional funding, local government units (LGUs) and the private sector are being encouraged to invest in agriculture and fishery infrastructure and livelihood projects, particularly in palay procurement, provision of drying, storage and rice milling facilities, farmers’ trading and consolidation centers, cold storage facilities and logistics like reefer and food delivery vans.
The DA said a team has been tasked to package big-ticket investment projects as well as initiatives that will mitigate the impact of climate change.
Dar said as LGUs will receive more budget starting next month, the DA will roll out counterpart projects in research and development, farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, cold-chain, small irrigation system, access to credit for small farmers, ports and markets, among others. Jed Macapagal
