Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Agriculture dep’t unveils package of assistance to farmers, fisherfolk
THE continuing battle against poverty by the Arroyo administration is being taken seriously by the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Believing that the current gains in investments and trade should be filtered down to the grassroots to help address poverty in the country, the DA is embarking on a wide range of programs to uplift the productivity and quality of life, particularly of farmers and fisherfolks.
In his recent presentation before members of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) agribusiness committee, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said his department has invested and will continue to fund projects that would create immediate positive impact.
As part of setting up critical irrigation facilities and infrastructure, Salacup reported that the DA is in the thick of implementing the Candaba Water Resource Project and the Rehabilitation of the Navotas Fish Port.
On post-harvest and storage systems, the DA proposed to provide municipal fishery cooperatives and associations with 150 units of stationary and mobile ice plants, ice storage facilities, 10 refrigerated vans, cold storages and other facilities which are identified as part of the cold-chain.
To enhance market access of agriculture-based products, the DA negotiated for a 5,000-square-meter space for Philippine fresh fruit and vegetable products at the Jiangnan Wholesale Market for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, the biggest wholesale market in Guangzhou, China. It is likewise facilitating the supply of 100,000 metric tons (MT) of coco coir to Zongbao Fiber Company by the appropriate exporters.
Part of the income diversification is the thrust to attract new investments, according to Salacup. At the DA, the campaign has so far enabled four bio-ethanol plants to operate within four months in Murcia and Kabankalan, Negros Oriental, Northern Palawan and Lalo, Cagayan. A 40,000-hectare cassava and sugarcane plantation in Cagayan Valley and Isabela is also being considered for development. The DA has likewise identified a one million-hectare land for hybrid corn, hybrid rice and hybrid sorghum.
More new investments in high-value fish products are taking shape, including joint ventures on the breeding, culture, operation of fishing vessels and transport of fish; on breeding and culture of abalone, sea cucumbers, sea urchins and scallops; and on processing various species, mollusk, seaweeds and other marine products.
A 35-hectare technology demonstration farm for the development of sweet corn, vegetables and crops, as well as tissue culture in the Philippines, is set to start as part of its science and technology program.
Salacup said Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has encouraged farmers to avail of the microfinance program of the government and to make use of post harvest facilities to reduce losses and increase their income, adding that microfinance is the answer to the farmers’ complaint on the lack of financial capacity to open or sustain their livelihood. (Dinah B. Dimatulac/Philexport News and Features/Sunnex)
