Aquino gov’t strengthens campaign for food self-sufficiency

MANILA, Feb. 22 (PNA) — Reaffirming the administration’s commitment to achieving food self-sufficiency nationwide, President Benigno S. Aquino III has increased the agriculture and agrarian reform budget to P99.6 billion this year, posting a 51-percent jump from last year’s P65.97-billion allocation.

“The President recognizes not just the wealth of agricultural resources in this country, but also the necessity of tapping these resources for the people’s benefit. This budget allotment will reinforce this Administration’s campaign for self-sufficiency in food production, and consequently, allow us to address the national hunger problem at the very root,” said Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad.

Of the total allocation, at least P24.5 billion will support irrigation infrastructure projects, including the construction and rehabilitation of irrigation systems across the country. The allocation is 90 percent higher than the budget set for the previous year.

Meanwhile, another P5 billion will be used to construct and repair 1,718 kilometers of farm-to-market roads, enabling local communities to expand their commercial reach to other cities and localities.

“Part of our drive to guarantee food self-sufficiency is the empowerment of farmers and communities so that they can become more active participants in the local market. The infrastructure initiatives under the 2012 National Budget will boost agricultural yields and allow farmers to get their saleable produce straight to the town proper,” said Abad.

In addition, funding for the the National Rice Program went up by 43.2 percent, bringing up the total appropriation to P6.1 billion.

The program is expected to produce 19.2 million metric tons of rice and achieve a sufficiency rate of 91.87 percent.

The National Fisheries Program will also receive P1.9 billion to help reach its 2012 output target of 5.6 million metric tons of commercial, municipal and aquaculture products.

The National High Value Crops program, meanwhile, will get P1.3 billion, which is 44.2 percent higher than last year’s budget, to support expenses for the planting of vegetables, industrial crops, alternative staple food crops, and the acquisition of farm equipment and machinery.

Allocations for livestock production under the National Livestock Program will also get a 50.2-percent increase, with P1.02 billion devoted to its self-sufficiency program.

The National Corn Program will likewise get increased funding amounting to P95.1 million, a 96.5-percent jump from its 2011 budget. (PNA)
lgi/PR/JS/utb