Agriculture Secretary William Dar is optimistic the upbeat mood in the food sector is sustained into the fourth quarter this year and help enable planners to attain the full-year growth target.

Although the sector has many challenges, Dar looks forward to the agricultural sector topping the year with a 2.5 percent to 3 percent production growth.

“The agri-fishery sector posted a major comeback in the third quarter of the year, expanding faster than we expected on the back of expansion in crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries,” Dar told reporters.

“There is so much to do. Generally speaking, we inherited a sector that is in a critical stage as it has unevenly grown this past decade. Poverty remains high and rural and agricultural in nature,” he added.

Dar said the agricultural sector is further hounded by the growing threat of a changing global climate and the impact of heightened globalization on the country’s agri-fishery, food and agribusiness industries.

In the year ahead, Dar said the Department of Agriculture will continue to promote inclusive agribusiness programs that will transform food producers into entrepreneurs and encourage young Filipinos to take an interest in farming.

“We will institutionalize a youth development program to enable younger generations to start-up businesses through the incubation of agricultural technologies,” Dar explained.