BAR TODAY || Official Quarterly Publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

GMA okays P2B R&D fund
by Thea Kristina M. Pabuayon

July-September 2001
Volume 3 No. 3

The future seems bright for the agriculture and fisheries sector as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo approved a P2-billion yearly budget effective 2001 for research and development. This developed after the President met with Department of Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor, BAR Director Eliseo Ponce, and other key officials of the DA and its attached agencies/bureaus in a closed-door budget dialogue and presentation last July. The fund is expected to speed up the implementation of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) and jumpstart the programs lined up for the farmers and fisherfolk.

Inset: President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

The P2-billion budget will be divided among PCAARD with P225.49 million; CHED, P90 million; and BAR, P380 million. The remaining balance of P1.3 million shall be released only after the agencies spend their allocated budget in implementing their programs, and shall be sourced out from the Agri-Agra law, which mandates that banks must allocate a budget percentage for agriculture.

The budget shall cover the implementation of R&D activities both at the national and regional levels. At the national level, P700 million will be allocated to implement the national R&D programs for commodity and non-commodity networks, and operation of the National Laboratorty Services. To insure research excellence among R&D institutions, P450 million will be spent to upgrade national R&D facilities, including laboratories of DA agencies and state universities and colleges. Lastly, P225 million will be provided for human resource development, establishment of knowledge products and R&D information system, impact evaluation and policy, and program management. For the regional level, P625 million will be allocated to implement the regional programs, establish the Agriculture and Fisheries R&D Information System, and the Regional Knowledge Products and Services, as well as support various institutional development projects. With this budget, the agriculture sector is expected to improve its overall performance, generate more jobs and raise the farmers' and fisherfolk's yield, productivity, and subsequently, income.