DA pushes for creation of agro-industrial plantations

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) will push for the creation of agro-industrial plantations through the Convergence Initiative rather than supporting calls from the private sector for an amendment of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

During the recent Philippine Economic Briefing and the National Agriculture and Fisheries Summit, private sector proponents raised concerns about the CARP and the inability to establish large-scale agro-industrial plantations for economies of scale.

Private sector proponents point out that achieving efficient food production through large-scale agro-industrial plantations is becoming more imperative in the face of increasing concern about food self-sufficiency and security amid climate change.

However, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the government is already addressing the issue of providing agro-industrial plantations through its Convergence Initiative program together with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The DA-DAR-DENR National Convergence Initiative is a strategy to develop and operationalize a common framework for sustainable rural development that will facilitate the complementation of resources of the three agencies to maximize the benefits and impact joint agricultural and rural development projects in the countryside.

Under the initiative, the DA, DAR and DENR will identify specific areas which can be used for agricultural projects.

The areas being eyed would include lands owned by agrarian reform beneficiaries as well as denuded, deforested and degraded forest lands.

The Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corp. (PADCC) is helping the DA, DAR and DENR package a number of agribusiness projects under the initiative.

As of December last year, the PADCC had identified at least P2.2 billion worth of projects for possible investments by interested local and foreign investors.