Outgoing DA chief: PH agriculture ‘stunted growth’ due to insufficient budget

(FILE) Farmers can learn from their indigenous counterparts. They are letting go of old rice-focused traditions to survive, using technologies to meet big demand for commercial salad vegetables. —EV ESPIRITU

MANILA, Philippines — Insufficient budget for the country’s agricultural sector restricted its growth over the years, outgoing Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar said Wednesday.

According to Dar, the DA is currently working with an annual budget of P85.5 billion, which is less than half of the amount it had initially proposed. The department later sought for P12 billion in additional budget, citing the urgent need to sustain food production in the country.

READ: DA seeks P12B in additional budget for 2022

“Ang agrikultura talagang napabayaan,” Dar said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay Forum. “That’s why there’s stunted growth. That’s why hindi pa rin tayo makapagbigay ng maraming harvest facilities and the like.”

(The agriculture sector was really neglected. That’s why there’s stunted growth. That’s why we haven’t been able to provide more harvest facilities and the like.)

He further noted, “We really have to commiserate kasi parang second-class citizens ang tingin sa mga famers (It seems as if they see our farmers only as second-class citizens). I mean, the farmers are not properly supported.”

Dar recalled that the DA earlier warned about the problems of the agricultural sector possibly intersecting with other global issues as it pleaded for an increase in its budget.

“Ang daming problema ng mundo. Nandyan ‘yong COVID-19, hindi pa humuhupa. Very lingering. Nandiyan pa ang African Swine Fever. We anticipated [this] with natural disasters, eh halos talagang kulang na kulang ang budget,” he said.

(The world is facing so many problems. The COVID-19 pandemic has not subsided. It remains lingering. And the African Swine Fever is still here as well. We anticipated this with natural disasters, yet the budget for the DA was still very lacking.)

READ: Filipinos to ‘feel more’ of food crisis impact by last quarter, says DA chief

But with newly elected leaders set to assume office by the end of June, Dar renewed his hopes for the DA to receive ample budget and support under the concurrent leadership of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“Now with the political will of the incoming administration and the topmost priority given to agriculture, sana madagdagan na sufficiently ang budget (We hope the budget will sufficiently increase),” he underscored.

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