Dar seeks higher budgets, investments for agriculture

MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture Secretary William Dar is reiterating his call for an increase in the budget as well as investments in the country’s agriculture sector to be able to raise local production and attain food sovereignty.

In a statement, Dar said that protecting the interests and welfare of Filipino farmers and fishers is still the priority, and that sourcing additional food from other countries remains a policy of last resort.

“We continue to put premium on protecting our farmers and fishers. Our goal has always been geared toward food security, eventually leading to food sovereignty. We only allow imports to fill in the deficit or what we cannot produce locally,” Dar said amid criticism that the agency has made the country food import-dependent.

Recently, the DA approved the importation of 38,695 metric tons (MT) of frozen fish and aquatic products for wet markets in the second quarter, which is part of the 60,000 MT certificates of necessity to import (CNI) volume in the first quarter.

President Duterte also recently signed executive order 171 extending lower tariffs on pork and rice imports until the end of the year. It also reduces the tariffs on corn imports and imposes zero tariffs on coal.

While the DA continues to aim for food sovereignty, Dar stressed the need for a significant budgetary allocation and investments in the agriculture sector to be able to achieve this goal.

“Saying that the administration supports the country’s food security efforts is one thing, putting the necessary budget to do so, is another thing,” Dar said.

The agriculture secretary explained that higher palay or unhusked production under the current administration is proof that higher production can be attained with the necessary budget.

He stressed that palay production hit a record 19.96 million MT last year, which is equivalent to a 92 percent sufficiency in rice, higher than the 87 percent sufficiency when he assumed office in 2019.

In a separate statement, the DA said that attaining a 100 percent self-sufficiency in rice is attainable as more areas are planted to quality hybrid and inbred rice varieties with optimum levels of fertilizer application through the implementation of the Philippine Integrated Rice Program (PIRD).

The PIRP features three components, namely the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), National Rice Program (NRP) that includes hybrid promotion, and Rice Resiliency Project (RRP) that grants fertilizer subsidies to inbred and hybrid rice farmers.

“Despite high fertilizer prices and barring strong typhoons in the second half of the year, we look forward to breaching the 20-MMT barrier,” Dar said.