P-Noy prioritizes agriculture in 2012 budget

The Aquino administration increased the budget for agriculture by next year at P61.7B which is 60 percent higher compared to this year's budget allocation.

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, the Senate Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Food as well as Chairman of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization said, "this indicates that the Aquino administration recognizes the significance of the agriculture sector in poverty alleviation and moving the nation forward. After decades of serious neglect, it is about time the sector gets its due."

Pangilinan said this is a very significant move for the government to uplift the lives of farmers and fisher folks by improving the status of the agricultural sector in the country. This is also a key for the country's objective towards development.

Earlier this year, Pangilinan gathered the Agriculture and Fisheries (AF2025) Task Force together with Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and representatives from the private sector and farmers and fisherfolk organizations in the country for a discussion and detection of some main issues that hamper the potential of the agriculture and fisheries sector to boost.

One of the issues discussed during the convention is the budget limitation intended for the country's fisherfolks and farmers.

Pangilinan, believed that it was during that conference with DA Secretary Procy Alcala, Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and President Aquino that the decision to increase DA's budget for 2012 came up.

The Senator said that the increased budget will surely alleviate the poverty status of the country specifically in the rural areas.

"The increase in incomes of our farmers and fisherfolk will have a tremendous impact on our economy. The demand for goods and services would increase exponentially. The impact of wealthier farmers and fisherfolk on the growth of the economy would be overwhelming," Pangilinan concluded.-PIA — ARA