Interaksyon, 28 January 2013
MANILA – In a bid to achieve inclusive growth and reduce rural poverty, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Monday said public-private partnerships (PPP) for infrastructure and value-chain development will be strengthened this year.
“Support from the private sector is seen as a major contributor to the government’s efforts to quickly deliver the needed infrastructure and services in the agricultural and fisheries sector,” NEDA Director-General and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said.
Agriculture accounts for a fifth of the country’s economic output.
Balisacan said a value-chain approach — wherein stakeholders are strategically connected from the production to marketing stages — is central in determining the appropriate mix of interventions necessary to make the farm sector an entry point for overall inclusive growth.
“For 2013, the sustained development of the agriculture and fisheries sector remains critical to achieve the overarching goal of inclusive growth and poverty reduction particularly in rural areas,” he said.
PPP projects, such as irrigation infrastructure, food supply chain, and postharvest services are eyed this year.
Production centers for various farm inputs, fish farming infrastructure, and market and trading centers also fall under the priority scheme.
To achieve the 4.3-5.3-percent growth target for the agriculture sector this year, NEDA said the government will invest in the construction of strategic rural infrastructures, such as farm-to-market roads, irrigation facilities, postharvest facilities, among others.
According to NEDA, 1,752.7 kilometers of farm-to-market roads have been constructed and rehabilitated from July 2010 to June 2012. Irrigation facilities that support crop production were also built and maintained, resulting in 17,564 hectares of new areas irrigated, 81,468 rehabilitated, and 16,043 restored.
The National Irrigation Authority operates and maintains 212 national irrigation systems with a total service area of 783,457 hectares and total effective irrigated area of 1,135,650 hectares.
