BUTUAN CITY - The ‘Plant, Plant, Plant Program’ of the Department of Agriculture (DA) seeks to increase national agri-fishery output through intensified use of quality seeds, appropriate inputs, modern technologies to increase levels of productivity across all commodities. The program, otherwise called “Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat (ALPAS) Laban sa COVID,” is implemented throughout the country especially in areas under enhanced community quarantine. The aim is to increase food production during the crisis situation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the P31-billion supplemental budget to fund the ‘Plant, Plant, Plant Program’ to ensure food productivity, availability, accessibility and affordability while the country is still battling the spread of the contagion. Secretary Dar explained that from the supplemental budget given, P8.5-billion of which will go to the ‘Rice Resiliency Project’ aimed at increasing rice sufficiency level from the current 87% to 93%.

Based on the DA report, other undertakings that will be funded under the ‘Plant, Plant, Plant Program’ are Additional palay procurement fund of the National Food Authority; Expanded SURE Aid and recovery project; Expanded agriculture insurance project; Social amelioration for farmers and farm workers; Upscaling of KADIWA ni Ani at Kita direct marketing program; Integrated livestock and corn resiliency project; Expanded small ruminants and poultry project; Coconut-based diversification project; Fisheries resiliency project; Revitalized urban agriculture and gulayan project; Corn for food project; and Strategic communications project.