The new administration of Bongbong Marcos will have to deal with the agriculture sector “gasping for breath,” outgoing Agriculture Secretary William Dar said Monday.
Dar said the agriculture industry in the Philippines has been “underbudgeted, neglected all these 30 years.”
“It’s gasping for breath, and we need sizeable budgetary support to make it possible to really now unlock the potential of the Philippine agriculture,” he told ANC’s Headstart.
“Of course, I would’ve been much happier if agriculture would have been properly budgeted.”
Dar stated that the agriculture department’s proposed budget for 2023 is P270 billion.
He said that the fisheries industry needs a budget of P12 billion or three times its existing budget of P4 billion.
“That’s the level of budget we need in agriculture. Otherwise, talagang (really), we have been underbudgeted, neglected all these 30 years. In spite of that, we have new record production in rice production. Everything we’ve budgeted for, we’re using that properly,” Dar said.
“We’re having strides in most areas, we can do much more if we’re given the right budgeted support.”
Dar stated that President Rodrigo Duterte had authorized a plan to minimize the effects of the impending global food crisis. Dar said this entails institutionalizing a balanced fertilization plan, scaling up indigenous technologies and feed raw resources, and establishing places where higher yields may be obtained.
Department of Agriculture is ‘neglected all these 30 years’ – Dar
When asked if he would be willing to serve under incoming Philippine president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Dar responded: “If offered, I am there to serve this incoming leadership. If given the chance.”
Rice, coconut, and sugar dominate the production of crops and exports in the Philippines, demonstrating the importance of agriculture to the country’s economy. According to the World Bank, as of 2021, it employs 23 percent of the Filipino labor force.
Increasing occurrences of extreme weather will have devastating consequences for agriculture. Typhoons (high winds) and heavy precipitation contribute to the destruction of crops, the reduction of soil fertility, and the alteration of agricultural production due to severe flooding, enhanced runoff, and soil erosion.
Droughts and less precipitation contribute to a rise in crop-damaging insect infestations and a greater demand for irrigation. In addition, rising sea levels increase salinity, resulting in agricultural land and irrigation water loss.