Agri scholarship grants get P90.3-M from DBM

Full scholarship grants await 1,050 Filipino youths who will opt to and qualify for the P90.3 million-peso education component of the Agricultural Competitiveness Fund (ACEF) of the national government.   “We need to develop a steady base of competent professionals who will unlock the potential of our agriculture and fisheries sector,” Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad said   Each grant will pay for full tuition and other fees. College courses the ACEF scholarship program covers are in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary medicine.   “President Aquino is committed to ensuring rice self-sufficiency by 2013 and, ultimately, to developing a robust agriculture sector that provides meaningful and sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor. The scholarship program will help us achieve this goal,” Abad also said.   The ACEF was created in April 1996 through Republic Act 8178 and was intended to finance projects that will improve the global competitiveness of the agriculture sector.   A later law, Republic Act 9496, “An Act To Extend the Utilization Period of ACEF,” provides that 10 percent of the fund is for the scholarship program for agriculture students.   RA 9496 also specifies that state universities and colleges involved in agriculture research and development may avail of financial grants from the ACEF collateral-free. — ATL/ELR, GMA News