DA: Phl needs P1.3 T to boost farm output

The country will need P1.3 trillion worth of investments in the next few years to boost rice production, reduce wastage of agricultural products and ensure the country's food security, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.

- CATHERINE TALAVERA

Laurel said that the bulk of the needed investment, or P1.2 trillion, will cover the irrigation of 1.2 million farmlands primarily planted with rice.

On top of this, Laurel highlighted the need to build integrated rice mill and warehouse complexes to reduce an estimated 15 percent in losses in rice due to the lack of postharvest facilities.

He said this would cost around P90 billion over several years.

However, he highlighted that this would save the country around P10.7 billion worth of rice or an additional 23 days of rice inventory, which is equivalent to around 10 percent of rice imports based on last year's figures.

Laurel lamented that the government has not funded any major post-harvest facilities in the last 40 years.

"We really need to fund these projects. But we must build bigger. We have three designs - small, medium and large, not mini," he stressed.