The agriculture industry in Central Visayas is projected to sustain its growth this year, with continued government intervention into the sector.

Lawyer Salvador Diputado, regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7), said he is optimistic on the prospects for agriculture in 2021, banking on government spending for the industry.

Diputado said the sector’s growth last year was attributed to the increased involvement of local government units (LGUs) in agriculture-related initiatives and the government’s assistance to the farming communities.

“Last year, we provided farm inputs and equipment to our farmers. Our convergence with the LGUs is important in identifying the needs of the farmers in the different localities,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

In Cebu alone, the DA has allocated about PHP454-million budget for the farm sector in the province this year, slightly higher from PHP431 billion last year.

Diputado expressed the DA’s commitment to further support the initiatives to boost the agricultural output in the Central Visayas region.

In 2019, the agriculture sector in Central Visayas grew by 0.8 percent, accounting for 0.1 percent of the 5.9 percent regional gross domestic product growth for the year, based on latest figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Agriculture accounted for about 6.4 percent of the Central Visayas regional economy in 2019. (PNA)