The Department of Agriculture (DA) is proposing P284.4 billion for its 2021 budget to “sustain, reboot and grow” the country’s agriculture and fisheries sector.
During the briefing of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the agency needs more funds, citing challenges besetting the sector.
“I have the distinct honor and privilege to present the proposed budget of [P284.4 billion] for financial year 2021 for the agriculture sector. The budget is intended to sustain, reboot, and grow the agriculture and fisheries sector amid the challenges brought [about] by the pandemic,” Dar told lawmakers.
“We seek your highest approval of our budget proposal for the coming year. What lies in your hands right now is the food security and resiliency of the country, the future of the 109 million Filipinos and counting,” he added.
The P284.4 billion proposed 2021 DA budget is P204.5 billion, or 255.9 percent, higher than its 2020 outlay of P79.9 billion.
Of the total proposed budget, P61.7 billion will be under Tier 1 while the Tier 2 will cover the remaining P222.6 billion.
The 2021 proposed budget for the agriculture will include P55.9 billion for the rice subsector; P6.6 billion for the corn subsector; P13.7 billion for high-value crops; P11.2 billion for livestock sector; P22.5 billion for fisheries sector; P960 million for organic agriculture and P3 billion for other support programs.
According to Dar, the Covid-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated the importance of agriculture in the national development effort given that the sector supplies the food requirements of the population.
“I call your attention to this glaring reality: The agricultural sector contributes around 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product [GDP] but the share it gets from the national budget for the past 10 years is a measly 3 percent to 5 percent of the total,” he said.
“I wish to underscore the need to ensure parity between the contribution of the sector to the economy and the resources that it gets from the national coffer. This, if we are to ensure that agriculture, being the sleeping giant as it is, can finally contribute its full potentials in the Philippine economic recovery and national development efforts,” Dar added.
AAMBIS-OWA Rep. Sharon Garin, chairman of the House Committee on Economic Affairs, said a resolution will be filed to support the budget proposal of the DA.
Despite the pandemic, Dar, also assured the public that supply of agricultural commodities in the country remains adequate.
“We, in the Department of Agriculture, are working 24/7 to ensure that food is available, affordable, and sufficient on the table of every Filipino household under the situation we are in. We see these difficult situations as golden opportunities to strengthen the underpinnings of Philippine agriculture,” he added.
In response to the crisis, Dar said the department introduced Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita where farmers’ produce were brought to the cities through rented trucks and issuing food passes for these private agribusiness delivery trucks to facilitate entry to urban centers.
“We rolled out our Kadiwa mobile stores in strategic areas of Metro Manila and other major cities of the country in partnership with LGUs [local government units]. We launched Kadiwa app to promote online purchases and partnered with big corporations and malls to provide space in their stores and malls where farmers can sell their produce,” he said.
“To date, our Kadiwa efforts have generated sales of more than P5.6 billion to participating farmers, on top of creating jobs for those involved in these ventures,” Dar added.
On African swine fever (ASF), Dar told lawmakers that the agency has mobilized all the resources available, including forging partnerships with the private sector, to prevent further spread of the virus in hog population.
To date, he said around 300,000 hogs have been culled as part of our “1-7-10 Protocol,” with farmers being paid P5,000 for each culled hog.
“Our combined effort with the private sector paid off as previously ASF-hit areas are now considered ASF-free. For these zones, we have invested P400 million for livelihood projects and we have just set aside P400 million for re-stocking purposes,” he said.
“While the rehabilitation effort is being done in selected places, the department has remained vigilant in monitoring any other disease outbreak around the country. This has become more imperative with the reported discovery of a new swine flu strain [G4 H1N1 virus] in China that affects human beings,” he added.
Dar said the Philippine government has already banned earlier the entry of pork and pork products from China.
“We are also working with the Bureau of Customs to prevent smuggling of pork and pork products from China and other countries and prosecute those who violate at the strongest possible terms,” he added.
Image credits: Bernard Testa