The Department of Agriculture (DA) has requested for a Php 284.4 billion budget for 2021, or 255.9 percent higher than its current budget to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the agriculture sector.
The breakdown for the proposed budget includes: Php 55.9 billion for the rice subsector, Php 22.5 billion for the fisheries sector, Php 13.7 billion for high value crops, Php 11.2 for the livestock sector, Php 6.6 billion for the corn subsector, Php 3 billion for support programs, and Php 960 million for organic agriculture.
The agency claimed that the agriculture sector was underfunded in the previous years.
“The additional budget that we requested for rice, that will bring us to almost 95% sufficiency level…But if you can give us additional, then we can go to a hundred percent),” DA Secretary William Dar pointed out.
More than Php 130 billion are allotted for locally funded projects, including the establishment of farm to market roads and for Balik Probinsya Program.
Some lawmakers expressed support to increase the DA budget. They claimed that it would help in opening more livelihood to displaced workers and boost contribution in the GDP. – Report from Bernard Jaudian Jr.
