Philippine Daily Inquirer
Gov’t to pursue agri subsidies
By Michael Lim
PALAYAN CITY – PRESIDENT Macapagal-Arroyo presided over meetings of the National Economic Development Authority and the National Security Council here to stress her bid to make the country rice self-sufficient before she ends her term in 2010.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the government will spend about P25 billion on agricultural subsidies this year and almost the same amount nest year to hopefully push the country out of the current food crisis.
The Cabinet was also set to approve an “export development program for agriculture,” an ambitious plan to make the country an exporter of hog, livestock and poultry by mid-2009.
To do this, Yap told reporters the Department of Agriculture (DA) proposed the continuous development of processing facilities all over the country (storage, refrigeration and cutting facilities).
“We want processing facilities for meat products ready by mid-2009,” he said, adding that the DA was working with local government units to increase “capacity production.”
Already the country is exporting hog products to Singapore.
“For the first time, the country will export hog products to the world,” he said.
In May, President Macapagal-Arroyo unveiled the P43.7-billion FEEDS program, a financial support package for fertilizer, irrigation and infrastructure, extension and education, loans, dryers and other post-harvest and post-production facilities.
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