The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured that they will continuously implement the programs that help the farmers, Agriculture Sec. William Dar said in the Laging Handa public briefing on Wednesday (July 28).
“Nabanggit rin ng ating mahal na Pangulo [sa kanyang State of the Nation Address] iyong batas na Rice Tariffication Law at mga components niyan, may RCEF [Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund] na nagbibigay ng ₱10 billion.
“And this has helped, and will continue to help, iyong rice farmers, not only the rice farmers, ay itong consuming public, kasi mas mababa na ang presyo ng bigas sa merkado. At iyong pagsasabatas nito, iyong pagsuporta sa rice industry, ay malaking development sa ating bansa,” he said.
Dar also said that through the law, 15,858 machineries were procured, 11,802 machineries were delivered, and 220,371 farmer beneficiaries received the machines.
In relation to this, he said the department distributed 1.6 million bags of inbred seeds in the dry season of 2021 to 661,567 beneficiaries, and around 920,293 bags in the wet season to 375,292 farmers.
Following the criticisms received by the department on the importation of rice, Dar explained that the country only produces about 90% of its rice requirement.
“So, to be food secure, iyong kakulangan na 10% ay iyon po ang inaangkat ng pribadong sektor. Now, let me add, there is a new record rice harvest last year at the level of 19.4 million metric tons. And that brought us to 90% sufficiency level,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dar added that the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund is a “game-changer” that will modernize the Philippine coconut sector.
“I have always said before na itong Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, that this is a game changer that will modernize the Philippine coconut sector, and there are a good number of components or interventions under this act that will really shape the future of the coconut industry,” he said.
He assured that the funds for this are being prepared and that they are in the process of identifying the coconut farmers that will undergo the program. He guaranteed that the program will roll out soon.
Report from Kenneth Paciente/NGS- jlo
