The Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARSc) of the House of Representatives on Thursday approved an additional P16 billion to the Department of Agriculture budget in amendments for next year.
The move aims to further support farmers, fisherfolk, and the agriculture sector and strengthen programs to prepare them for the looming super El Niño.
Under the P7.2-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2027, the budget allocated to DA was around P198.45 billion.
The subcommittee, composed of select lawmakers from major political parties and the minority bloc, began deliberations on the proposed amendments to the budget for next year.
Among the eight line items introduced by the subcommittee includes an additional P500 million to the expanded fertilizer assistance program, with a current budget of P14,443,499,000.
The chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, also moved to allocate funding to the Solar Pump Irrigation Project that was initially not included in the 2027 NEP budget, amounting to P125 million.
The chairperson also allotted P105,000,000 to the provision of hybrid solar-powered ice plants program, in a bid to support air-to-water technology for the coastal and remote fishing communities.
‘In fact, they are already piloting two areas for the solar ice plants, particularly using air-to-water technology. So these are highly potential opportunities for the fishery sector,’ Enverga explained when asked about the pilot program.
A budget request for the implementation of the Agri-Transport and Support Infrastructure Projects under DA amounting to P150,000,000 was also presented.
The chairperson said that the cable car systems would be cheaper for high-value crops being planted in the mountainous areas, compared to the high costs of farm-to-market roads.
‘So rather than building costly farm-to-market roads, these would be trams that would transport goods from one mountain to another, which would be much cheaper and more economical for our production system in high-value crops,’ he said.
An additional P4,960,224,000 was also proposed to be included in the P16 billion budget to farm-to-market road programs.
Meanwhile, an additional P500,000,000 under the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority was also introduced for the construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of fish ports. Under the 2027 NEP, it has an allocation of P2,100,000,000.
Enverga also proposed an additional P100,000,000 for high-value crops to the existing P1,700,308,000 budget.
House committee on appropriations chairperson Rep. Mikaela Suansing proposed P10,000,000,000 for the Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk to ensure the agriculture sector is prepared for the impact of the super El Niño.
‘Another measure we wish to take to ensure our 2027 budget is fully prepared for a ‘super El Niño’ -is to allocate funds for the Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk,’ she said.