Department of Agriculture eyes $7.6-million grants from FAO, EU

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is securing around $7.6 million in grants from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as well as from the European Union for three agreements that will benefit farmers particularly in increasing palay production, preventing swine diseases and providing immediate aid to flood-hit farmers.

The DA recently signed three separate agreements with the FAO and the EU.

According to Agriculture Secretary Bernie Fondevilla, the support comes at an opportune time as it would add to the budget allocated by the DA for its intervention programs.

The first agreement, which was signed by Fondevilla, FAO representative Ambassador Kazuyuki Tsurumi and witnessed by Ambassador Christian Meerschman of Belgium, provides immediate assistance to farming communities in the Ilocos Region and the Cordillera Administrative Region which were hit by massive floods spawned by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng last year.

It aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge of the beneficiaries on household-level agricultural and fishery practices.

The project will be funded with a $1.5-million grant from the government of Belgium through the FAO. 

Fondevilla said the project will also support agriculture emergency efforts and rehabilitation coordination programs being implemented by the DA for flood-hit communities.

Another accord signed by DA and FAO and witnessed by European Union representatives, involves increasing rice yields by promoting the use of small-scale irrigation and integrated crop management systems in rainfed areas. 

Fondevilla, on behalf of the DA and Tsurumi signed the agreement witnessed by Charlotte Minasyan-Pekovits, Attache‘ for Operations Section of the European Union delegation to the Philippines.

The program would be implemented through an EU grant of 4.2 million euros ($5.7 million).

It covers the provinces of Pangasinan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac.

The initiative would be jointly implemented by the municipal governments of the beneficiary-provinces, the DA regional field units in the Ilocos Region and Central Luzon, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Philippine Rice Research Institute and the Agricultural Training Institute.