P14M agri projects alloted for Siquijor

SIQUIJOR, SIQUIJOR, Philippines – A total of P14 million worth of agricultural projects have been alloted for Siquijor province, according to Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala during his two-day visit here last week.

Alcala, in an interview with The Freeman, said his visit to Siquijor was part of his tour of different agriculture-based provinces nationwide, including meeting with farmers and fishermen and assessing their needs.

Provisions of equipment and infrastructure support would really help farmers in their daily endeavor to increase agricultural productivity, he said.

Among some projects the secretary mentioned were farm-to-market roads, through the Central Philippine Rural Development Program, multi-purpose drying pavements, cassava granulator, mechanical shredder/chipper, corn mill, water system solar water pump and ramp pump, among others.

Alcala also discussed concerns with hundreds of livestock farmers in the towns of Catulayan, San Juan and Siquijor where he promised them support for the livestock industry in the province by providing them abattoir, additional cattle/bulls as draft animals, native pigs, goats and sheep.

“Hindi ibig sabihin ay paatras tayo, kundi mas maganda ang kalidad ng native na baboy at baka. Maganda manganak ang mga ito kaya mabuting padamihin natin,” Alcala told the farmers, while also granting agriculture course scholarships to six beneficiaries. 

Governor Orlando Fua, Jr. presented the road map on agriculture but the secretary suggested on giving priorities over projects that were of immediate needs by the farmers, such as seeds and irrigation facilities.

Alcala said there was an increase in the national budget for agriculture from P21 billion last year to P61 billion this year.

“This indicated that President Benigno Aquino III has been committed for the development of agriculture in the countryside to uplift our marginalized farmers and fisherfolks,” he said.

In the Farmers’ Forum and Dialogue with Extension Workers, the secretary turned over projects such as Barangay Food Terminal in San Juan town; water refilling, vermi-composting, alamang processing, improved native chicken, peanut production, seaweeds farming, swine fattening (assisted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources); additional planting materials on rice (certified and hybrid) and corn seeds (tiniguib and OPV); and other farm equipment.

Technoclinic was also held to provide services in crops, livestock, fisheries, with equipment demo and other services by attached bureaus and agencies of the DA.

Other local government units also submitted project proposals to Alcala.

DA-7 executive director Angel Enriquez called on all mayors in Siquijor to unite in the promotion and development of agriculture to attain the government’s goal in “food security and self-sufficiency,” considering that there will be no importation of rice by 2013. - THE FREEMAN