DA to implement 4 new projects worth P65 billion

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) will roll out four new projects worth P65 billion aimed at boosting farm productivity in the country.

Four new programs with a combined P65.3-billion in investments are set to be implemented in partnership with international funding institutions World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation.

Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said expanding investments in food production would create jobs and promote progress, especially in the countryside.

Almost 70 percent of the investment will go to the scaled-up Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) at P45.012 billion.

The DA has long been implementing the PRDP that clusters producers into enterprises that take a business-oriented approach to farming and fishing.

They are supported through complementary investments in infrastructure, such as farm-to-market roads, irrigation, post-harvest facilities, and cold storage.

The scaled-up version, however, aims to expand its coverage in 82 provinces nationwide to improve the farmers and fisherfolk’s access to markets and increase their incomes from agri-fishery value chains.

The DA will also implement the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency Project with an investment of P11.422 billion, which aims to improve the management of fishery resources and enhance the value of fisheries production in select fisheries management areas covering 24 provinces.

On the other hand, the DA will pour in some P6.625 billion for the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project that will focus on 26 ancestral domains in Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and the Bangsamoro.

It aims to sustainably increase the areas’ agricultural productivity, resiliency and access to markets and services.

Last is the P2.3-billion Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change project that aims to increase the resilience of farm stakeholders in areas vulnerable to climate change particularly in the Cordilleras, Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Northern Mindanao, and Soccsksargen regions.

The projects are also expected to contribute in the easing of inflation and the growth in the countryside.