Lawmakers seek P5-B increase in DAR’s 2021 budget for mega farms

Cabatbat said the project would help bring back “economies of scale” that would greatly benefit farmers. (Pexels photo)

MANILA – Lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Monday sought to augment the funding of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for next year by an additional PHP5 billion to finance the “mega farms” project for farmer-beneficiaries.

During the House appropriations committee’s hearing on DAR’s proposed PHP8.85-billion budget for 2021, Magsasaka Party-list Rep. Argel Cabatbat suggested increasing the allocation for the mega farms’ proposal, wherein around 50 hectares of contiguous land will be developed into specialized crops production areas.

Cabatbat said the project would help bring back “economies of scale” that would greatly benefit farmers.

“Kaya naman sana mapondohan natin ito (I hope that we could provide funds for this). Ako, I would move to accommodate the increase in the budget of DAR in the amount of PHP5 billion para ma-accommodate ang pilot project na ito (so this project will be accommodated),” Cabatbat said.

Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte also proposed to augment DAR’s budget by PHP3 billion to PHP5 billion.

“Ako, sang-ayon ako diyan. ‘Yung concept nila sa mega farms is kino-consolidate ang mga farmland owned by the beneficiaries into 50 hectares para (I agree with that [proposal]. Their mega farms concept consolidates the farmlands owned by the beneficiaries into 50 hectares so that) we will evolve them from subsistence farming to commercial farming,” Villafuerte said.

“I will strongly push na mapondohan itong megafarming concept of at least PHP3 to PHP5 billion para matulungan ang mga farmer (I will strongly push to fund the megafarming concept of at PHP3 to PHP5 billion to help the farmers),” he added.

DAR’s appropriations for next year are 7 percent lower than this year’s budget amounting to PHP9.14 billion.