The Department of Agriculture (DA) needs an additional funding of P6.6 billion this year to “fully accelerate” the recovery of the livestock industry from the slump caused by African swine fever (ASF) outbreak, the agriculture chief said.
In a virtual briefing on Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the amount would allow the agency to procure more ASF testing kits and disinfection trucks, as well as fast-track the distribution of indemnification and insurance to aggrieved livestock raisers.
The P6.6 billion will be in addition to the existing budget for the hog industry repopulation and recovery programs.
“If we don’t have enough resources, we can realign [some of …
Keep on reading: DA seeks P6.6B in additional fund for ASF response