QUEZON CITY -- As part of the proactive measures of the Philippine government to mitigate and cushion the effects of the global economic challenges compounded by the Ukraine crisis, while boosting local food production, the Department of Agriculture (DA) launched the “Plant, Plant, Plant Program Part 2,” during the opening program of the National Women’s Month, on March 7, 2022.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the DA recommendations during the expanded Cabinet meeting last week in Malacañang, including the flagship program on food security with a budget of P24 billion.
The Plant, Plant, Plant Program 2, which will be implemented nationwide, has the following components:
· Fertilizer subsidy initially amounting to P12 billion but increased by President Rodrigo Duterte to P20 billion;
· Urban and peri-urban agriculture amounting to P1 billion;
· Local feeds production with P1 billion;
· Aquaculture and mariculture fisheries with P1 billion; and
· Food mobilization with another P1 billion budget.
Secretary Dar said the President also approved the recommendations to realign the 2022 DA budget, and additional government financing through the Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines for concessional loans extended to provincial local government units (LGUs) for palay procurement and rice buffer stocking.
Other approved DA recommendations include the transfer of the oversight function over the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) back to the DA for better water management and crop scheduling, and distribution of the legislated P500-million fuel subsidy to corn farmers and fishers.
According to Dar, rice farmers are not included as they will receive another round of P5,000-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) making use of the excess rice tariff collections in 2021, amounting to P8.9-billion budget.
As in the previous two years, the RFFA beneficiaries are those tilling two hectares and below.
“Talagang nakikita ninyo yung resoluteness ng ating mahal na Pangulo na tumulong sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda,” Secretary Dar said.
During the Plant, Plant, Plant 2 launch, the agri chief encouraged the “OneDA” Family to continue their hardwork and elevate their service to the public.
“Dito nila makikita na ang mga kawani ng Kagawaran ng Pagsasaka ay nandiyan ang puso at damdamin sa pagsisilbi sa ating bayan at magsilbi sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda,” Secretary Dar said.
The Plant, Plant, Plant Program was first launched in 2020 to address the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic to the local food systems.
According to the agri chief, the strengthened Plant, Plant, Plant Program Part 2 will help address the current economic challenges exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine crisis. These challenges include the disruption of the global supply chain, high logistics costs, high fuel prices, climate change impacts, presence of transboundary diseases, and affected Philippine exports to Russia with the net result of increased food prices driving high food inflation.
Thus, the agri chief is enjoining all the stakeholders to be strong partners of the “OneDA” Family in the war against food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition. (GCBejarin, DA-AFID)
