In an interview with ANC, Agriculture Secretary William Dar underscored the need to increase the fisheries sector’s budget to P12 billion from the current P4 billion. Dar stressed the lack of budget for fisheries, despite its nearly 15 percent contribution to the gross value added (GVA) in agriculture. “There’s so much to do in terms of providing the fishing gears of fisherfolk and developing hatcheries and the likes. There’s so much to be done to make it at a level where we can have more local production in the country,” Dar said.

Talavera, C. (2022, June 4). Dar seeks tripled fisheries budget. The Philippine Star, p. B4.