DA: 2025 budget to focus on irrigation projects

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said irrigation projects will get a huge chunk of its budget for 2025 as part of its roadmap to boost food production in the country. 

“Ipo-focus natin ang ating spending…na hindi sabog at, of course, ang isang pinakamalaking kailangan natin na mag-invest is in irrigation,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel said during Malacañang Insider interview on Thursday.

(We will focus our spending, not scattered, we need to invest in irrigation.)

To date, Laurel said 1.2 million hectares of flatlands are not irrigated.  He said the government will also use its budget for its solar-powered irrigation initiatives, also seen to increase farmers' productivity.

Aside from this, Laurel said the agency has also invested in dryers, silos, and rice mills to increase the recovery of the palay harvest.

“Sa ngayon, ang recovery natin using old systems or drying sa kalye at sa mga ibang lugar, 50 percent lang na bigas ang nakukuha natin sa palay. Pero kung may mga drying systems tayo, puwedeng umakyat iyan up to 70 percent,” Laurel said.

(Right now, our recovery using old systems or drying on the street, and in other places, we only get 50 percent of rice from palay. But if we have drying systems, that can go up to 70 percent.) 

“So, may 15 hanggang 20 porsyento ang madadagdag sa ating buffer stock without increasing production, iyong mga ganoon ba at marami pang iba, oo,” he added.

(So, 15 to 20 percent will be added to our buffer stock without increasing production.) 

Laurel sought the cooperation of all sectors in the implementation of the country’s roadmap for agriculture, noting that a multi-sectoral collaboration could make Philippine agriculture at par with its foreign counterparts and ensure food security. 

“Basically, I need everybody’s cooperation. At of course kaunting pasensiya pa dahil iyong mga kailangang gawin ay hindi iyan overnight na kapag itinanim mo, bukas nandiyan na eh,” Laurel said during the Malacañang Insider program. 

(Basically, I need everybody's cooperation. And of course, a little more patience because what we want to achieve will not happen overnight.) —LDF, GMA Integrated News