Philippines doubles efforts to recover from PSA and increases loans to producers

The Philippine Department of Agriculture, through its Agricultural Credit Policy Council, has allocated 300 million additional Philippine pesos (P) for loans to rural and semi-commercial producers in "green zones" or African Swine Fever (PSA) free areas. This sum will help finance pig projects in four PES free areas in regions 4-B (MIMAROPA), 6 (Western Visaias), 7 (Central Visaias) and 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula). Beneficiaries of this aid are semi-commercial pig producers, individual, new or existing, small businesses and cooperatives and farmers associations. Individual producers can order up to P300,000, new up to P1 million and existing ones up to P3 million. Small businesses and cooperatives and associations up to P15 million. The loan has zero interest and the term to pay it off is five years. Last year, the Department of Agriculture initially allocated P500 million for loans to homegrowers and micro and small businesses (SMEs) under the ANYO program. As of August 31, 2021, ...