“The
Department of Agriculture thru the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP)
may request additional funding from the World Bank as projects in the pipeline
have already reached P13-billion,” according to Agriculture Secretary Proceso
J. Alcala.
“The
approved projects have reached P5.3 B, and more local government units want to
be included,” he said.
We
still have to see, how much more will be needed by the LGUs based on their project
proposals before we send our request to the WB,” he said.
“We
may be requesting not less than USD500 million from them.”
The
agri chief further stated that the WB was very happy with the turn-out of the
PRDP, as it received a positive and very satisfactory review during a mission
conducted in February.
“We
urge the LGUs to partner with us and submit a business plan of your priority
commodity,” Alcala said at the sidelines of his field visit in Davao City on
March 5, 2015.
The
Davao City government is currently preparing documents and other pertinent
requirements in line with their commodity investment plan for cacao.
PRDP,
an off-shoot of the successful Mindanao Rural Development Program, seeks to
bring agricultural innovations in communities across the nation, to improve the
farming and fishing sectors, produce quality and competitive products and
increase productivity and income of agricultural laborers.
While
in Davao, Alcala and Senate Chair for Agriculture and Food Cynthia Villar,
distributed various farm machineries and equipment amounting to P127.4 million.
The
packages of assistance, distributed to organized groups and farm associations,
are part of the government’s efforts to mechanize the rural agri sector in preparation
for the upcoming integration under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
Farm
machineries distributed include mechanized threshers, tillers, hand tractors,
combine harvesters, and corn shellers among others. (DA)
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