The Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched a four-year program aimed at modernizing the Philippines’ agriculture sector, with a focus on improving infrastructure to address domestic food production challenges. The plan emphasizes upgrading transportation, logistics, and distribution systems to reduce input costs and ultimately lower food prices for consumers. Key initiatives include constructing solar irrigation systems, expanding farm-to-market roads and bridges, modernizing logistics, and building post-harvest facilities.
The program also prioritizes mechanization and advanced cold storage systems to minimize post-harvest losses and improve the distribution of agricultural products. The DA aims to enhance production systems through improved land preparation, crop development, and digital integration to make farming more efficient and climate resilient. The DA’s plan is to digitalize its systems to make farming “smarter,” consequently reducing waste in seed and fertilizer as a result.
The agriculture sector faces additional challenges due to fragmented land ownership and frequent climate-related disasters, such as typhoons and droughts. The DA plans to address these by promoting farm consolidation and investing in research for climate-resilient crop varieties.
By strengthening infrastructure and adopting advanced technologies, the government hopes to reduce the need for imports, stimulate local production, and ensure a sustainable, resilient agricultural sector that benefits farmers and consumers alike.
(Source: Business World Online)