Congress approves P74.1-B DA budget

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved the proposed P74.1-billion budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) for 2013.

The approved budget is 21 percent higher than this year’s allocation of P61.4 billion.

The budget was sponsored by Tawi Tawi Representative Nur G. Jaafar. 

In a statement, the DA said the budget would go mostly to irrigation, agri-fishery infrastructure, and support services. These are meant to support the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP) under which self-sufficiency in rice and other food staples are envisioned to be attained by 2016. 

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala assured the public that the budget would be well spent on projects and interventions to increase the productivity and incomes of small farmers and fisherfolk, and make basic agricultural commodities affordable to consumers.

Under FSSP, the government plans to produce at least 20 million metric tons (MMT) of palay and 8.4 MMT of corn next year.

The DA will defend its proposed budget next month at the Senate.

The bulk of the 2013 DA budget will be spent on support services such as production support (6.87 billion), market development (P1.28 billion), credit facilitation (P2.01 billion), irrigation (P28.75 billion), postharvest and other infrastructure (P12.38 billion), extension support (P3.04 billion), research and development (P1.45 billion), and information support (P277 million.)

On a commodity program basis, the DA will spend for the following development programs in 2013 as follows: rice (P7.45 billion), fisheries (P3.66 billion), corn (P1.52 billion), high value crops (P1.36 billion), and livestock (P1.03 billion).

The allocation for the National Rice Program in 2013 is 21 percent higher than this year’s allocation of P6.18 billion because the government is pursuing self-sufficiency in the staple by 2013.

The same is true for funding for the National Corn Program which will be 60 percent higher than this year’s allocation of P951 million.