The Department of Agriculture (DA) suspended the processing of all new agriculture and reclassificationsfiCiting the need to protect agricultural land from rapid conversion, the rationing application.
Through Department Circular No. 1 signed on January 5, the DA placed a halt on the approval and processing of land use reclassifications.ficitation certificatefiRation applications till June.
Applications submitted before the moratorium will be processed, but appeals will remain pending until the moratorium is lifted.FTed.
In a statement, the DA said the suspension would allow it to re-evaluate its regulatory framework and oversight in the context of the pace of urban expansion and the encroachment of infrastructure on agricultural lands.
“There is a need to pause the acceptance and processing of applications… and to revisit and review policies to strengthen DA oversight, ensure sustainability, and protect agricultural lands from inappropriate conversion,” the statement quoted Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. as saying.
The DA said analysts warn that the continued loss of productive agricultural land could erode the Philippines' ability to grow staple foods such as rice and corn, weaken food self-sufficiency and increase import dependence. — Von Andrei E. Villamiel