Monday, March 05, 2007 Unoy rice production, marketing plan formulated
WITH sufficient budget as a result of the country's improving economy, the government is now preparing to invest in another One Town One Product (Otop), which is the unoy organic rice of Kalinga.
In collaboration with unoy farmers, the Office on Agricultural Services (OAS), in cooperation with the trade and science and technology departments and local government units (LGUs), initiated the formulation of the five-year Unoy Rice Production and Marketing Development.
During the workshop, participants gave prior consideration to four strategies to improve and develop unoy rice production and marketing in the province.
The first strategy is given to research development and extension that covers research trials, extension and promotion activities and the provision of incentives to farmer researchers and extentionists who will be piloting the program.
The second strategy is the establishment of production and marketing support, which is considered as vital especially in meeting the production demand of global markets.
This approach covers the establishment of seed banks and organic input producers in all the municipalities; conduct of soil fertility analysis; establishment of market linkages through participation during trade fairs and adoption of electronic commerce applications; and establishment of updated databank for easy reference.
Capability building is also seen as one vital stratagem to improve the potential of unoy farmers. Under this strategy, participants saw the need to institutionalize the Unoy Farmers' Organization, which will be playing a vital role in the sustainability of the product and to provide these farmers the needed entrepreneurship and skills training to arm them in coping with global trading.
The planners have also seen the need for agricultural engineering development that includes irrigation, soil and water resources development projects, agricultural machinery and crop processing development programs, and construction of agricultural buildings and structures.
With the successful implementation of the plan, unoy farmers and those who are planning to venture in unoy rice production may now look forward to a prospective future.
This is part of the government's effort in empowering farmer entrepreneurs to participate in the formulation of plans and policies, decision-making and implementation helping them to attain security and self-sufficiency in said sector through the provision of strategies and interventions that are responsive to the farmers' specific needs.
Contributing to about 22 percent to the country's gross national product, the government is giving priority to agricultural development providing livelihood to million of farmers while enabling traders, processors, retailers and other sectors earn a living gearing towards overall growth and economic development in the countryside.
