KAMPANTE si Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar na kasama ang agricultural sector sa “top priorities” ng susunod na administrasyon.

“I believe that the next administration will have that political will, that ability to give the topmost priority or one of the topmost priority areas that is the sector of agriculture and budget for would be at the level of double of the present or tripling the present budget of the Department of Agriculture,” ayon kay Dar.

Dahil dito, hinikayat ni Dar ang publiko na suportahan ang presumptive president sa patuloy na nilalayon nito na magkaroon ng ‘stability’ o pagkamatatag sa kabila ng “brewing food crisis.”

“We must unite and support the presidency of Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.,” ayon sa Kalihim.

Sa kabilang dako, isa aniya sa slogans ni Marcos ang P20 na presyo ng palay at hindi ng bigas.

“I surmise that the P20 per kilo is for palay, not for rice, so we have a present farmgate price of palay at P19, so increasing that to P20 is very viable,” ayon kay Dar.

At sa natitirang 51 araw ng administrasyong Duterte bago pa ito magtapos, sinabi ni Dar na ipakikilala nila ang kanilang banner programs sa incoming administration upang tiyakin ang food security sa bansa.

Partikular na tinukoy nito ang National Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization and Industrialization Plan (NAFMIP). (CHRISTIAN DALE)