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BY PRINCE GOLEZ, Manila Reporter
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Wednesday, March 22, 2017
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MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) recently turned over P307 million worth of agricultural assistance to the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo.
During DA secretary Manny Piñol’s 3-day visit to Panay Island to grace the groundbreaking ceremonies of the three-storey DA Regional Field Office 6 in Fort San Pedro, Iloilo City, he disclosed some of the projects of the agency to Western Visayas.
Piñol said 68 kilometers of farm-to-market roads will be built in San Remigio, Antique to connect producers to urban markets.
The department also committed to provide a cold-storage facility to reduce the amount of food lost or wasted.
“The building blocks of a successful Philippine agriculture are technology, financing and marketing,” Piñol said during the Tapatan: Gobyerno at Mamamayan forum held in the province.
In Culasi town in Antique, the secretary provided about P70-million agricultural interventions to help farmers and fisherfolk increase their income.
In Aklan, Piñol urged the province for greater focus on food production because of the growing trend of tourists coming to Boracay Island.
According to him, farmers in Aklan lamented the challenges facing the piña fiber production.
The farmers told him that there has been a marked decrease in the number of workers in fiber production and problems about planting materials.
Meanwhile, the DA led the fingerlings distribution at Camp Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz. The department also provided 1,500 different fruit-bearing trees.
“The produce could feed the camp’s soldiers as well as provide affordable food for people living in surrounding areas,” Piñol said.
Piñol also stopped at the Sigma Civic Center and discussed his major undertakings and initiatives during his eight months in office.
In Iloilo, Piñol provided P102 million worth of agricultural support as he emphasized the need to achieve the goal of food self-sufficiency during the present administration.
He also led the opening of the Research and Development Center for Organic Agriculture in Iloilo which will serve as training and demo area for farmers, fisherfolks, students, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders interested in organic agriculture.
“This will encourage more farmers to shift to organic farming, which ultimately will help boost food production,” he noted./PN
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