The Department of Agriculture (DA) is expected to release revised guidelines for farmland conversion in August, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr.
The revised guidelines aim to streamline the conversion process and make it easier for landowners to develop their properties, while maintaining the country's rice land and irrigated agricultural areas.
The DA has identified certain constraints to land conversion, including a minimum of 3 million hectares of rice land that it wants to preserve.
The department plans to maintain the requirement for municipalities to have land use plans before granting conversion, ensuring that development is carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner.
The revised guidelines will also take into account the strong demand for land conversions by renewable energy projects, particularly solar power, and will prioritize conversions on land with slopes of 8% or more.
The DA intends to reject farmland conversions for land without an agricultural component, citing the need to preserve highly productive irrigated land.
The department will generally discourage development on irrigated land unless required by law, aiming to maintain the country's agricultural productivity and food security.
The revised guidelines are expected to be released in the next week or two, following further revisions to the draft.
