Agri agency getting P 17B from Bayanihan 2

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is getting an additional budget of P17 billion under the recently approved Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which the agency said would be used to supplement its ongoing programs.

The Senate recently approved the bill dubbed Bayanihan 2, which earmarked P140 billion to President Duterte’s approved initiatives to accelerate the recovery of the country’s economy from the adverse effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the additional budget would be used to fund DA’s interventions. In addition, the agency also proposed a P66-billion stimulus package called “Plant, Plant, Plant” to ensure food security.

The PPP stimulus package comes with three components, namely 1) increasing domestic food production as a means to raise food sufficiency levels; 2) creating food markets and improving logistics to support agricultural systems, and 3) providing cash assistance to stakeholders in the forms of subsidies, grants, and loans. INQ