Government planners have put too much emphasis on rice when they crafted this year’s budget allocation for the various agricultural sectors, and not much else for the other equally important sectors, the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) said on Thursday.
According to Danilo Fausto, PCAFI president, the budget for rice programs in 2025 can withstand a reprogram and reduction to accommodate the funding requirements of such other equlaly important sectors as high-value crops and other food segments.
Fausto said the DA should reconsider and “correct the disparity of the existing budget for 2024 to bring at least to a near level the distribution of resources to other agriculture sector.”
He meant the rice sector accounted for 60 percent of this year’s budget at the Department of Agriculture (DA) with an allocation P118.66 billion. The PCAFI leader wants to bring it down to 43 percent of the DA’s budget in 2025.
In comparison, this year’s budget for high-value crops received only 2.54 percent of this year’s P197.84 billion food development program or only P5.03 billion. If it were up to the PCAFI, next year’s budget should rise to equal at least 7.5 percent of the agency’s budget.
It riles the PCAFI that the fisheries sector had 12.1 percent of this year budget with allocation totaling P24.02 billion while livestock and poultry received 3.11 percent of the budget or P6.15 billion. Under his proposal, the fisheries sector should have a little more in the 2025 budget with at least 12.5 percent and the livestock and poultry another 15 percent.
As for the high-value crops receiving 2.54 percent of this year budget or P5.03 billion, should receive significantly more with 7.5 percent of the 2025 budget.
The PCAFI did not comment on this year’s allocation of 22.2 percent of budget reserved for other expenses at the DA’s food program and its allocation totaling P43.98 billion. It noted next year’s proposed remain significant at 22 percent of budget.
PCAFI urged government to also consider establishing a coffee and cacao institute in Laguna or Cavite with a budget of P1 billion and planting 5 million trees with a budget of P500 million.
Fausto proposed making available P1 billion as credit facility for coffee farmers and perhaps another P500 million enabling coffee farmers in a cooperative to put up an instant coffee facility and a coffee trading post or hub. The goal, he said, is to chip away at the fact that 85 percent of the country’s coffee requirements are imported.
The group also said the DA needs to resolve the forecast shortage of corn of around 4 million metric tons used in the manufacture of animal feeds this year.
More post-harvest facilities, especially in areas where corn is harvested twice a year harvests, can help address the shortfall, with a budget of P500 million for every 1,000 hectares of corn.
