Agri dept wants P32B for food program
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) wants an additional P32 billion to fund its food program to be rolled out during the enhanced quarantine period.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the DA would implement the AhonLahat,PagkaingSapatKontrasa Covid-19 or AlpasCovid-19 (Break free from Covid-19), which aims to “ensure a food-secure Philippines during the health emergency period.”
The additional budget will be used for food production and availability, food accessibility and affordability, and food price stabilization, he said.
“With this pandemic, there is tightening of global food supply and we know that when there is not enough food, disorder is probable. While improving our food adequacy level, we should aim for food security. If no action is done, the threat of hunger is as real as the threat of the virus,” Dar said.
The bulk of the requested additional funding or P8.5 billion will go to the Rice Resiliency Project (RRP).
Sub- projects under RRP include the Enhanced Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (P2 billion) for provision of fertilizer to the 947 targeted municipalities growing inbred rice; the Expanded Inbred Rice Production (P3 billion) to support advance planting during wet and dry season in the form of seeds, fertilizer, mechanization, credit and extension; and the Hybrid Rice Production in Suitable areas (P3.5 billion) to expand rice growing areas with good irrigation.
The DA also allotted P7 billion to increase the procurement fund of the National Food Authority to buy palay (unmilled rice) from local farmers, as mandated by the Rice Tariffication Law.
Meanwhile, P1 billion was allotted for the upscaling of KadiwaniAni atKita, P1 billion for the Integrated Livestock and Corn Resiliency Project to enable higher production of livestock in corn producing areas, and another P1 billion for the Expanded Small Ruminants and Poultry Project to ensure an increase in the production of meat, chicken and eggs.
The Coconut- base Diversification Project, which involves the intercropping of vegetables and fruits and raising of small ruminants and poultry under coconut trees, will get P1 billion, while the Corn for Food Project, which seeks to intensify the production of corn in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro will be allotted P300 million.
The Urban Agriculture Project to be implemented in major urban communities will get P500 million, while the Revitalized Gulayan Project will be allotted P1 billion.
For fisheries, the Urban Aquaphonics
Project and the Enhanced Aquaculture and Sustainable Capture Fisheries in Inland Waters will get a total of P1 billion.
Meanwhile, the DA will be using P3 billion for financial assistance to farmers affected by the drop in farmgate prices under the Expanded Sure Aid Recovery Project. The Expanded Agriculture Assistance Project will also get P3 billion from the proposed supplemental budget.
In addition, the DA will grant social amelioration to farmers, fishers and farm workers amounting to P3 billion.
A total of P500 million will be used to purchase Protective Personal Equipment such as surgical masks and other accessories to protect DA personnel from the virus, while P200 million will go to the Sustained Information, Education and Communication Project of the DA.