Agriculture Secretary William Dar allays the fears of the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) on the transfer of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) from the Department of Agriculture (DA) to the Department of Finance (DOF).
“We assure the FFF that their interest and those of other farmers’ groups will continue and remains the priority of the PCIC Board,” said Secretary Dar.
“The fear of FFF is unfounded as the PCIC, with its transfer to the Department of Finance (DOF), as per Executive Order No. 148, will make the operations of the agency more efficient in fulfilling its mandate toward providing insurance protection to subsistence farmers and fisherfolk,” added the DA chief, who will serve as vice-chair of the reconstituted seven-man PCIC Board.
“If at all, our coordination with the DOF will be stronger than ever, and enable our farmers and fisherfolk, through their representatives in the Board, to directly plead the case for greater support for agricultural insurance with no less the top finance officer of the Duterte administration, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez, as PCIC chair,” Secretary Dar said.
He added that the FFF and the entire agriculture, fishery, and livestock sector are assured of continued and strong support from the newly-reconstituted PCIC Board, as four members represent their interests, namely the: DA Secretary; President of the Land Bank of the Philippines; PCIC President; and a representative of farmers’ groups.
Moreover, PCIC Board Chair Secretary Dominguez has always been a staunch supporter of the agriculture and fisheries sector, having served as DA secretary and a former agribusiness entrepreneur himself.
Secretary Dar assured the country’s farmers, fishers, livestock raisers, and agripreneurs that the PCIC will continue to implement the agency’s insurance programs, especially its fully- and partly-subsidized insurance programs for self-financed and credit-assisted farmers and fisherfolk, respectively.
For his part, PCIC President Jovy Bernabe said the agency is currently focused on using up available government premium subsidy for the free insurance scheme, particularly in support of rice farmers and hog farmers affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF). ### (DA StratComms)
