LGUs urged to invest in agriculture to help achieve food security

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has urged local government units to invest in or allocate more funds to agricultural projects in order to help the country achieve food security.

“Kailangang kailangan natin ng investments di lamang sa gobyerno, ang national government, pati ang local governments. We encourage our local government units na talagang crop producing, palay producing, corn, livestock, fishery na kailangan mag-invest din po kayo,” DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes said at the Laging Handa briefing on Thursday.

(We really need investments not only from the national government but also from the local governments. We encourage our local government units that are producing crops, rice, corn, livestock, or fisheries to also invest in agriculture.)

“Bigyan ng malaking pondo ang nalilikha nilang agriculture sector,” he added.

(Allocate a bigger budget for the agriculture sector.)

The DA official said candidates in the local elections should prioritize the issue of food security.

“Pangangailangan natin cold storage facilities, bio fertilizers, at iba pang local feed sources. Hindi kakayanin ng buong pamahalaang Duterte ang ating pangangailangan dito kailangan andiyan ang LGUs at private sector,” Reyes said.

(We need cold storage facilities, bio fertilizers, and other local feed sources. The Duterte administration alone cannot support all of these. That’s why we need the support of LGUs and the private sector.)

The DA official, meanwhile, said the distribution of P3,000 fuel vouchers to corn farmers and fisherfolk is ongoing.

Last week, the Agriculture department began distributing fuel subsidies for the farm sector, with the goal of mitigating the impact of a series of fuel price increases on the livelihoods of approximately 160,000 farmers and fisherfolk.

The released funds are charged against the 2022 budget of the DA, which has an allocation of P500 million to provide assistance through fuel discounts to farmers and fisherfolk who either individually own and operate agricultural and fishery machinery or operate through a farmer's organization or cooperative.

For the second tranche, targeted for distribution in April, it would source the money from excess revenues to be collected as of end-March. —VBL, GMA News