DA releases P3.43B to fund rice self-sufficiency program

The Department of Agriculture has released P3.43 billion to fund the national rice program and help farmers increase their yield, Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said.

The program will bring the country closer to its goal of being self-sufficient in rice production by 2013.

“[The program] is in line with the Aquino administration’s commitment to reduce poverty and ensure rapid, inclusive and sustained economic growth, especially for those living in the countryside,” Abad said.

“Through this program, the government makes sure that facilities, technologies and other interventions are in place to help us achieve (rice self-sufficiency),” he said.

With a budget of P5.217 billion this year, the program will provide farmers with quality seeds, irrigation, credit and marketing assistance to improve productivity and profitability.

The DA expects to produce 17.45 million metric tons (MT) of palay this year and plans to increase that by 10 percent to 19.2 million MT in 2012.

To achieve rice self-sufficiency by 2013, national palay production must be increased by another 10 percent to 21.11 million MT that same year.

Abad said that based on discussions related to the 2012 national budget, the DA is aiming for 91.9 percent rice self-sufficiency by 2012 from 84.4 percent this year.

Attaining such a target forms the basis of the DA’s proposal to increase its budget in 2012, he explained.

The DA needs “to strengthen its capability and refocus its investments towards achieving its Philippine Food Staple Self-Sufficiency Roadmap, in line with achieving 100-percent rice self-sufficiency,” Abad said.

The Department of Budget and Management has disbursed almost half of the P1.645-trillion budget for 2011 in the first quarter alone. This was done through “frontloading” of fund releases, which was meant to perk up the economy early in the year.

The government hopes to accelerate project implementation in the first semester of the year, as well as to take advantage of good weather in the early months for infrastructure projects.

As of end-March, a total of some P800 billion had been released, accounting for 81 percent of the amount programmed for the year. Also, about P618 billion had been channeled to different agencies of government.