The Department of Agriculture (DA) will push this year in Congress for the extension of the Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) of 1997 and the Fisheries Code of 1998.

DA Secretary Luis P. Lorenzo Jr. said that the two laws are among the "safety nets" provided by Congress to farmers and fishermen to cushion the harsh effects of globalization and tariff liberalization on their products.

"However, full AFMA implementation has been hampered by inadequate budgetary support," said Lorenzo. "It was only in year 2000 that the annual budget of P17 billion was almost fully allocated."

AFMA is set to expire in 2003 and the fisheries code in 2004. The DA wants an extension of the two laws and their full funding for another five years in order to realize their objectives of updating agricultural and fisheries production techniques to conform with international standards.