The Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) said it has approved loans totaling P5.8 billion which aim to help local farms and fisheries adapt to climate change.
LandBank said the loans have been extended to 15 borrowers as of June 30 in support of building a climate-resilient agri-business value chain in the country.
LandBank President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo said the bank supports investments in innovative technologies that will help address climate change risks in the agriculture sector.
“This modernization is aimed towards improving the production and income of our local farmers while ensuring national food security amid the changing global climate,” she said in a statement.
Through its Climate Resilient Agriculture Financing Program, the bank said it aims to finance farming technologies, systems, facilities and equipment that will help local farms and fisheries become more adaptive and resilient to the effects of climate change, such as severe storms and prolonged drought.
The bank said the program can finance crop, livestock, and fishery projects that utilize climate-resilient technologies, such as the adoption of planting materials and seedling techniques for climate-resistant food crops, pipe irrigation that helps prevent water loss during dry season, and climate-adaptive farming systems such as terracing.
Modern facilities and equipment that minimize harvest and post-harvest losses during typhoons can also be financed under the program, including rice harvesters, dryers and outdoor grain storage facilities, the bank added.
It also said that the program can provide credit fund for working capital and the construction of facilities such as greenhouses, reservoirs, rainwater collecting systems, and farm-to-market roads with drainage, and other new and emerging technologies approved and endorsed by the Department of Agriculture and the concerned Municipal Agricultural Office.
Under the LandBank Climate Resilient Agriculture Financing Program, cooperatives, associations, and private borrowers categorized as single proprietorships, partnerships, or corporations may borrow up to 80 percent of the total project cost.
Meanwhile, the bank said local government units may borrow not more than their net borrowing capacity as certified by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.
Term loans for working capital and permanent working capital are payable up to 1 year and 3 years, respectively, while loans for fixed assets and construction of facilities are payable based on cash flow but not more than its economic useful life.
The interest rate shall be based on the prevailing market rate. LandBank said its program “underscores the bank’s commitment towards advancing a more resilient agriculture sector while promoting environmental sustainability.”
In his recent State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said addressing the impact of climate change on the agriculture sector is one of the top priorities of his administration.
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