Senate panel OKs proposed P178-B agri budget for 2025

Manila: The PHP178.273 billion proposed 2025 budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) was 'deemed submitted' to the Senate plenary after it was approved on Monday by the Finance subcommittee chaired by Senator Cynthia Villar. Villar assured that she will convey and push to the Finance Committee the DA's request of establishing a Rubber Institute that will cost PHP50 million, as well as the PHP150-million additional funding proposed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. She also committed to pass the Livestock Bill to fund the request of the Bureau of Animal Industry to strengthen food safety, as well as the request for more funding of the Philippine Carabao Center and the National Dairy Authority. For the Bureau of Plant Industry, Villar assured the passage of the Corn Bill. Villar sponsored Senate Bill No. 2625 (An Act to Develop the Philippine Corn Industry, enhance the availability and affordable of quality feeds and staple food, and provide for a corn competitiveness enhancement fund) under Committee Report No. 246 'to propel the competitiveness and expansion of the yellow corn industry' while allocating 20 percent of the fund to white corn development and other indigenous corn varieties. She also asked the DA to allocate PHP7 billion to finance the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, considering that the rice tariff went down from 35 percent to 15 percent. "Because of that, we might only be able to collect PHP15 billion and we need the PHP30 billion. So, there is an excess this year. There is a collection of PHP36 billion. We will be spending PHP18 billion this year. The PHP10 billion of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund and the PHP8 billion of financial assistance to rice farmers owning two hectares and below," Villar said. "So, there's a shortage of PHP7 billion. So, I want the Department of Agriculture to put that in the budget so that we will have PHP30 billion next year for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund," she added. Villar likewise suggested that the DA uti lize the fund coming from the tariffs on imported salt for the development of the industry. Source: Philippines News agency