PH “PLEA” Program Highlighted in UN Forum
WASHINGTON, D.C. 23 October 2018 – The Philippine has been actively implementing policies and initiative on agriculture and fishing to address rural poverty.
This was disclosed by of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol during the Ministerial Breakfast on the Implementation of the Decade of Family Farming hosted by the Vice President of Costa Rica during the side event of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York on 27 September 2018.
In his remark, Secretary Piñol cited the launching of “PLEA” or the Production Loan Easy Access program which is a loan assistance program for small farmers and fisher folks that created positive impact on the lives of the beneficiaries and reduced rural poverty in the Philippines.
Secretary Piñol cited the repayment rate of 98 percent nationwide, which, he said, enable the Philippine Government to increase funding and expand the loan assistance program after one year of implementation.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is ending poverty and achieving Zero Hunger, which requires “partnerships that boost investments in rural development to support small-scale family farmers, especially women and youth, tackle some of the root causes that force people to migrate, and address the impacts of climate change.” END
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