The Department of Agriculture (DA) has requested an additional budget amid the spread of COVID-19.
DA Secretary William Dar said he has written Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to ask for Php 1 billion supplemental budget for programs that would ensure the sufficiency of food supply amid the COVID-19 crisis.
“We respectfully requested for a supplemental budget in the amount of Php P1 billion to support the Department of Agriculture’s programs in the next two (2) months in connection with COVID-19, particularly in ensuring food supply availability and price,” Dar said.
The DA has been eyeing the fund to be used in expanding the “Kadiwa ni Ani” program by building more Kadiwa stores that sell cheap and good quality products such as meat, fish, and vegetables.
The department added it has been planning to strengthen urban agriculture campaign and the lending of free seeds and farm input.
The DA has also been aiming to support their frontline workers and provide the extra medical, financial, information and communication assistance, and additional biosecurity.
The agriculture department said they will strengthen price monitoring to stop abusive business owners.
“We commit to make efficient use of the supplemental budget during this challenging time, as this grim episode is indeed a huge challenge for all of us,” Dar said.
Meanwhile, the DA has already provided 5,000 food lane passes to agricultural delivery trucks to speed up the arrival of food supply in Metro Manila.
“The best way to sustain stable prices of basic farm and fishery commodities is to have a continuous and unhampered movement of such goods from origin to the markets much more in Metro Manila and other metropolis,” Dar said. – Report from Cleizl Pardilla
