THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has obtained $280-million worth of funding from the World Bank to implement the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
“The World Bank has approved an additional $280 million for PRDP,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said in a statement.
PRDP is administered by the DA and jointly funded by the World Bank, the national government, and participating local government units (LGUs). It aims to establish an up-to-date, value-chain oriented and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries industries.
The projects are executed with LGUs and the private sector, which are expected to help provide key infrastructure, technology and information to boost income, productivity, and competitiveness in target areas.
Since it began in 2013, the program has received a total of $760 million from the World Bank.
Mr. Dar said separately that $500 million was also obtained to implement a Provincial-Led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System and $300 million to fund inclusive development projects in Mindanao provinces.
The DA also handed out P480.24-million worth of machinery and other inputs to members of irrigator and farmer’s associations in Northern Mindanao.
“The assistance is part of the government’s provision for equipment to increase productivity and income of rice farmers and make them more competitive,” the DA said. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
