Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Agri office launches ‘Project GMA’ in Clark By Chris Navarro
CLARK FREEPORT -- Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Arthur Yap recently launched “Galing ng Magsasaka sa Agrikultura” or GMA project in this Freeport zone the other day, which was aimed to strengthen farmer-based cooperatives.
The project was launched in collaboration with the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Education (DepEd), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Technology Research Centre, Office of Senator Edgardo Angara and the Candaba Farmers’ Cooperative.
“Project GMA will modernize farming in the country as well as ease farmer access to seedlings and agricultural facilities,” Yap said.
The 10-hectare pilot area is located inside Clark. Due to its strategic location, Luzon-based farmers can easily test and avail of a variety of seedlings, pre and post harvest machineries, fertilizers, chemicals and other production inputs in the one-stop-shop demo farm.
Project GMA also showcases the production of upland and lowland vegetables, high-valued fruits such as honeydew, rock melon and sweet tamarind using the latest drip irrigation system.
“What we have here is a good example of convergence. Farmers from Northern Luzon -- those coming from the Cordillera Administrative Region, Baguio City, Aurora, Nueva Ecija and Nueva Viscaya -- can use the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Express (SCTEx) and the existing North Luzon Express (NLEx) to reach Clark. Once in Clark, they can visit the Project GMA farm, buy their needs or check the newest farming technologies,” the secretary said.
Yap said farmers could also bring their fresh harvest to the Food Terminal Complex located near the demo farm where their produce can be sorted, graded or repacked, processed and placed in cold storage to be later sold to Clark locators or load for export using Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) facilities.
“Affordable lodging facilities are also available on-site. This is an efficient supply chain, a vision of Clark as a premiere logistics hub realized, a true convergence,” he added.
The agriculture secretary plans to replicate Project GMA farms nationwide by cultivating idle lots located inside police and military camps and school grounds among others.
The Candaba Farmers’ Cooperative, one of the proponents of Project GMA is continuously holding negotiations with eleven counterparts in the province on how to further improve and expand the said project.
“Indeed, Project Galing ng Magsasaka sa Agrikultura is a viable endeavor in ensuring food security for the country,” Yap added.
Patrick Pelayo, farming manager of the demo farm Project GMA, said this demo farm the irrigation technology from Israel has produced a 2.5-percent increase in yielding.
Pelayo said they have also produced tunnels made of bamboo which can be use by farmers to produce crops all year around, adding that the cost of this tunnels used in farming normally cost P100,000 but with their improvised version it will only cost five percent of the said cost.
“We started the demo farm here and hopefully, other farmers will emulate this, not only in Candaba, Pampanga, and the whole Philippines. We want to help and to provide livelihood to our farmers,” Pelayo said.
