THE World Bank has committed to finance at least $500 million worth of agriculture-related projects in the country, including the crucial updating of database on farmers and fisherfolk, to improve the farm sector’s productivity, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
The DA said it has received a “firm” commitment from the WB to bankroll its four proposed projects aimed at “improving agri-fishery extension systems, providing livelihood assistance to fisherfolk and indigenous peoples [IPs], and updating the national farmers’ registry system.”
The DA said the proposed projects are on top of the $280-million extension of the ongoing WB-funded Philippine Rural Development Project.
The DA added that WB Philippines Country Director Mara Warwick “personally” gave the commitment of the Washington-based lender to Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar.
“The proposed projects include the $200-million provincial agricultural and fishery extension delivery system; $200-million coastal resilience and fisheries development project; and $100-million Mindanao inclusive agriculture development project,” the DA said in a statement on Sunday.
“The first project is a new proposal, while the last two are being evaluated by the WB,” the DA added.
The DA said it also proposed to “update and enhance the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture [RSBSA] that will contain, among other information, a reliable list of legitimate farmers and fishers nationwide.”
The RSBSA is a crucial tool for government intervention as it contains the registry of farmers and fisherfolk in the country.
For example, farmers registered under the database would be beneficiaries of the annual P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
“With an updated RSBSA, we will be able to focus the delivery of needed services and initiatives to our clientele—most especially small farmers and fisherfolk—more effectively and efficiently,” the DA said.
The DA added it would tap the expertise of WB on “critical policy matters, such as on crafting a rice value chain industry road map.”