The Department of Agriculture (DA) is eyeing to establish the ‘Agri Puhunan at Pantawid’ program, a credit facility offering low-interest loans to help farmers easily access funds for their farming needs.

“Ang pinakamalaking ginagawa ngayon natin sa DA is magkakaroon ng programa, which is going to be called ‘Agri Puhunan at Pantawid’,” Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. said in an interview in Malacanang Insider on Thursday.

Laurel said farmers can avail themselves of the program through the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) or the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

Through the program, farmers can focus on farming and maximize production, he said.

Laurel mentioned that the DA has other programs that train farmers to make their profession more profitable by providing them with better farming equipment and technology.

“We cannot do the same thing over and over again. We have to do things differently na like using technology. Katulad sa mga vegetables, iyong may kaunting greenhouse na kaunti, may drip irrigation na isu-supply din ng DA sa mga qualified beneficiaries,” he said.

“Sa rice naman ay of course, all the equipment that they would need from the tractors, direct seeders, and of course iyong sinasabi nating post-harvest facility kanina. Para magkaroon sila ng sariling ecosystem nila sa kanilang probinsya or barangay, ng magawa na nila lahat doon sa loob, then I think makikita iyong farmers sa ganoong sitwasyon,” he added.

The DA Secretary also urged all stakeholders, including government agencies and banks, to support the drive to improve the Philippine agricultural industry. |PND