DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol announced P130 million in the 2019 budget will be allotted for farm to market roads (FMR) in Benguet.
Piñol, during the launching of the first Smart Greenhouse Philippines Project (SGPP) in the country in Baguio City, announced additional funds for the construction of roads for the 13 municipalities.
The DA secretary committed P10 million for FMR for each town.
“Because of your good performance, last year I committed to the mayors that we will give them P10 million each for your farm to market roads. It is now in the 2019 budget,” said Pinol on Friday.
In the last cabinet meeting, he added President Rodrigo Duterte tasked the Department of Finance to give DA 10 times its budget.
“The secret to agriculture is investments. Kung sira – sira iyong kalsada natin, wala tayong patubig, logistical facilities, materials, and irrigation mahihirapan tayo,” he added.
Piñol expressed the DA will be very supportive of Cordillera.
Last year, local chief executives of Benguet and Mt. Province were invited by the agriculture official for field visit to Israel to learn agricultural technologies, marketing and production.
The Embassy of Israel in the Philippines invited Filipino leaders and technical people to undertake field visits in Israel to observe and study agricultural technologies.
Benguet is the country’s top supplier of temperate vegetables, cut flowers and strawberries.