Science community urges government to increase agriculture budget

MANILA, Philippines - The scientific community urged the government yesterday to increase the budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to help minimize poverty in the country.

Emil Javier, president of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), urged the Aquino government to allocate about P50 billion to P60 billion for the DA per annum.

He said the department received a P38-billion budget this year, lower than its P54-billion budget in 2009.

Arsenio Balisacan, dean of the University of the Philippines’ School of Economics, said the low investment in agriculture has severely constrained the performance of Philippine agriculture and food production.

He said the high cost of transporting agricultural products “effectively inhibits growth of farm productivity and employment, reduces the earnings of poor farmers and landless workers and makes food more expensive and less accessible to poor urban consumers and even small farmers who are net buyers of food.”

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture, said the DA is likely to receive P52 billion for 2012.

Pangilinan was the keynote speaker at the 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting held at the Manila Hotel yesterday.

He said the Philippines has a total of eight million hectares of idle land.

Pangilinan also said there should be a land use plan that will dedicate much of these idle lands for agricultural use.

“If properly used, this will create revenues,” he said.

Science Secretary Mario Montejo said the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) continues to develop technologies that would help people in the provinces create high-value products from agricultural crops.

He said the agency has developed a technology to develop calamansi concentrate.

He said DOST scientists have also developed a process to extend the shelf life of brown rice.

Montejo said they also developed a freeze dryer that can be used to preserve perishable products such as fish.

The DOST chief noted that poverty incidence is higher in rural areas than in urban areas.

“We want to help them create world class products,” Montejo said.

“Our idea is not only to create a product but also to market it,” he added.

He said the DOST is working closely with other government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. for the commercialization of new products.