Philippines proposes $977.5 million drought response

The Philippine Department of Agriculture has presented a PHP 61.99 billion (US$977.5 million) action plan to protect food production and rural livelihoods against the anticipated effects of El Niño.

The proposal includes PHP 6.2 billion (US$97.8 million) already released through the government's UPLIFT Program, while PHP 371 million (US$5.85 million) in planned interventions remains unfunded.

Measures under consideration include cloud seeding, support for drought-affected farming communities and the possible importation of drought-resistant seeds from India.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has also instructed agricultural authorities to strengthen price monitoring and market surveillance to discourage profiteering and other irregularities during the dry-weather period.

The department has been asked to identify priority beneficiaries and provide location-specific information about available assistance.

Funding and implementation remain important challenges, particularly for interventions that have not yet secured financing.

source and photo: da.gov.ph