March 16, 2023

 

The Philippines allocates US$775 million for agriculture programmes this year

 

The Philippines' Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has announced that it has allocated PHP 42.8 billion (~US$775 million; PHP 10 = US$0.18) for agriculture programmes in the country this year under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA), Philippine News Agency reported.

 

Amenah Pangandaman, the DBM Secretary, said the programmes include the National Rice Programme, National Corn Programme, National Livestock Programme, National High-Value Crops Development Programme, Promotion and Development of Organic Agriculture Programme, and National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Programme.

 

She said that Philippines' President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, who also heads the country's Department of Agriculture, had emphasised that agriculture is a "top priority" of his administration.

 

Pangandaman said the top priorities in the country's 8-Point socioeconomic agenda are agricultural productivity and food security, adding that crucial initiatives that aim to boost farm income and productivity will receive a much-needed boost.

 

To increase rice production and improve the lives of rice farmers, the DBM has allotted PHP 30.30 billion (~US$549 million) under the 2023 GAA for the implementation of the National Rice Programme.

 

The National Corn Programme, which aims to increase the production of high-quality corn and cassava for human consumption, animal feed, and industrial uses, as well as to empower farmers and boost their income, received a total of PHP 5.02 billion (~US$90 million).

 

The National Livestock Programme, which aims to speed up the development of the poultry and livestock sectors by improving production and increasing stakeholder profitability, was given PHP 4.5 billion (~US$81million) by the DBM.

 

The National High-Value Crops Development Programme received PHP 1.8 billion (~US$32 million) in funding to support high-value crop production, processing, marketing, and distribution.

 

The Promotion and Development of Organic Agriculture Programme, which aims to promote, propagate, further develop, and implement the practise of organic agriculture in the Philippines, received an allocation from the DBM of PHP 900 million (~US$16 million).

 

The National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Programme, which aims to promote urban and peri-urban agriculture as well as other emerging agricultural practises, received a total of PHP 318.47 million (~US$5.7 million).

 

-      Philippine News Agency