A party-list group asked the bicameral conference committee (bicam) deliberating on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill to ensure that the agriculture sector’s budget remains intact.

Cutting the budget for agriculture would jeopardize the Marcos administration’s food security targets and the livelihood of millions.

“Deserve ng ating local food producers, na siyang ating food security soldiers, ng dagdag na suporta lalo na’t sila ang pinagmumulan ng pagkain ng ating bansa (Our local food producers, who are our food security soldiers, deserve added support especially since they provide the country’s food),” AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee said in a statement on Thursday.

The bicam will reconcile the disagreeing provisions of the PHP6.352 trillion national budget.

The AGRI Party-list stressed that underfunding the agriculture sector could have long-term consequences, particularly amid rising global food prices and climate change.

“Investing in agriculture is not just about supporting our farmers, fisherfolk and local food producers. It’s about safeguarding our nation’s food supply against external shocks. A reduced budget would be a step backward in addressing these challenges,” it said.

It pointed out that proposed allocations are insufficient to meet the needs of local food producers and address pressing issues such as low productivity, aging infrastructure and the lack of post-harvest facilities.

It noted that the agriculture budget remains a small fraction of the total national budget and is less than half of the PHP500 billion the Department of Agriculture originally requested for 2025.

“Kung seryoso tayo na magkaroon ng murang pagkain sa hapag ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino, dapat maging prayoridad ang dagdag na suporta sa mga magsasaka, mangingisda at buong sektor ng agrikultura. Sa pamamagitan nito, hindi lang mapapataas ang kanilang kita, mapapa-unlad din ang produksyon, dadami ang supply at bababa ang presyo ng pagkain at iba pang bilihin sa mercado (If we are serious in lowering the price of food on the tables of each Filipino family, added support to our farmers, fisherfolk and the entire sector of agriculture should be prioritized. It would not just increase their income, but would also expand production, increase supply and lower prices of food and other basic necessities),” it added.

“This is not just about passing the budget law. It’s about making a commitment to the millions of Filipinos who rely on agriculture for their livelihood.” (PNA)