Sen. Loren Legarda said on Thursday that the 2018 budget law would sustain the 4.6-percent growth the agriculture sector posted in the first nine months of the year. Legarda said the Department of Agriculture would have a budget of P110.75 billion—the seventh biggest allocation in the P3.7-trillion 2018 national budget—for the benefit of 11 million farmers and fisherfolk. It is imperative for us to sustain progress in the agriculture sector and to ensure there is enough support to address the needs and concerns of our farmers and fisherfolk,” Legarda said in a statement. ADVERTISEMENTAccording to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the agriculture sector grew by 4.64 percent in the first nine months of this year due to the high production in the crops, livestock and poultry sector. Gross value of production in agriculture was at P382.5 billion, a 6.27-percent increase from the previous year at current prices.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 21, 2017 21:22 UTC