If the government is serious about achieving food security and ensuring an adequate food supply, it must increase the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) budget by at least 30 percent, the Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines, Inc. (AGAP) said on Thursday.

The call comes as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced its national budget priorities for 2026, aligned with the government’s medium-term development plan.

According to the DBM’s 2026 Budget Priorities Framework released earlier in June, infrastructure development remains the top focus. This includes investments in active transport, integrated water resource systems, agriculture, healthcare facilities, and digital connectivity.

AGAP convener and returning lawmaker Nicanor Briones expressed concern that the agriculture sector continues to receive insufficient attention in national spending priorities.

“We hope this time, the budget for the Department of Agriculture will not be limited to the regular 10 percent increase, which is their ceiling. Before, the DA budget was the third department with the highest chunk of the national budget, next to the Department of Education and the Department of Public Works and Highways. The DA budget now is only 8^th on the list of priorities,” Briones said.

For 2025, the DA was allocated only P237.4 billion out of the approved P6.326 trillion national budget.

Briones is urging the administration to approve a 30 percent increase for 2026, which would raise the DA’s budget to at least P270 billion.

“There are a lot of things to do in the agricultural sector, including irrigation in our rice fields, post-harvest and rice harvesting facilities, state-of-the-art rice milling, among others. These should be supported by the government. For livestock and poultry, the prices of pork, beef, and chicken will decrease if the supply is ample,” he noted.

“We humbly ask our President Marcos Jr. to approve this request. Because how can we provide food at the Filipino’s table if the budget is scarce?” Briones appealed.

Meanwhile, the DBM confirmed that under its third budget priority — food and water security — the government will continue to build and upgrade post-harvest facilities and invest in multipurpose projects combining irrigation, flood control, and water supply systems.