An agriculture stakeholder on Wednesday urged the government to provide an intelligence fund to the Department of Agriculture to help monitor and prevent the spread of animal diseases in the country.
During the hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, Livestock of the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries chairperson Arnulfo Frontuna said that the intelligence fund for the DA would help speed up government responses for the agriculture sector.
He added that animal diseases could have been around for months in the country without being detected.
“We have to address that, and we can do it with the intelligence fund,” Frontuna said.
He also explained that the government could tap a proposed Enhancement Fund for the industry for this purpose.
“What we’re saying is that the Department of Agriculture should have surveillance and monitoring fund, some sort of intel fund,” said Frontuna. “If the Department of Education has it, why not give one to the Department of Agriculture?”
Meantime, Representative Mark Enverga, the chairperson of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, said in the same hearing there is a plan to change the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund so that money is set aside for livestock.
Frontuna said that keeping an eye on the spread of the African Swine Fever and the bird flu is very important.