The Department of Agriculture (DA) plans to roll out 4 new projects worth P65.3 billion which seek to increase the productivity of the sector, according to agriculture officials.
In partnership with international funding institutions such as the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization, the recently approved projects includes: Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA), Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency Project (FishCoRe), Scaled-up Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), and Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP).
DA Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel de Mesa said the APA has a projected cost of P2.3 billion. It aims to increase the resilience of agri stakeholders in areas vulnerable to climate change particularly in the Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Northern Mindanao and Soccsksargen regions.
“The FishCoRe targets to improve management of fishery resources and enhance the value of fisheries production in select Fisheries Management Areas [FMAs] covering 24 provinces with P11.422-billion project cost,” de Mesa said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Scale-up PRDP will expand its coverage in 82 provinces nationwide with a total project cost of P45.012 billion to improve the farmers’ and fisherfolk’s access to markets and increase their incomes from agri-fishery value chains, the official said.
MIADP will focus on 26 ancestral domains in Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and BARMM to sustainably increase their agricultural productivity, resiliency, and access to markets and services with a project cost of P6.625 billion.
Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said “we will press on with our collaboration with members of the House and Senate as we support new legislation for the expansion of opportunities in our rural areas.”
He added that the DA will continue to help ease the burden of rising inflation and encourage growth in the countryside through its various programs for agriculture and fisheries.
“The Marcos Administration will continue to push for stronger support for the sector, because expanding investments in food production will create jobs and promote progress.”
The value of farm output in January to March went up by 2.1 percent year-on-year to P428.69 billion, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
“This was because of the annual increases in the value of production of crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries,” the PSA said, by way of explaining its data.
The PSA also said that crops, which grew by 1.7 percent, accounted for P247.77 billion or 57.8 percent of the total value of production in agriculture and fisheries in the first quarter.