Monday, March 26, 2007 Lamitan dad bats for strong Basilan agri-sector By Ulysses E. Israel
COUNCILOR Enteng Ahmad of Lamitan, Basilan is pushing for a stronger agricultural sector for the province to attain self-sufficiency in basic commodities such as rice and vegetables.
The incumbent councilor of Lamitan has filed his certificate of candidacy for the Provincial Board of the Province of Basilan last week in his desire to continue his development agenda for the province.
He said Lamitan is very much dependent on Zamboanga City for its supply of rice and vegetables. There are many occasions when the shipments are delayed and so the city suffers from scarcity of these basic needs.
If elected, he vowed he would make it his priority to pursue the development of rice and vegetable farms by enacting laws that would encourage farmers to plant these basic crops.
Legislative measures would ensure the promotion of rice and vegetable farming to minimize dependency to supplies coming from Zamboanga
Peninsula, he said.
The comprehensive agricultural development program would include construction of farm-to-market roads, technical training for farmers, provision of seedlings, and access to credits.
Another important component of his proposal is the selection of agricultural land suited for rice and agricultural farming, he said.
The overall objective, however, is the attainment of relative sufficiency in rice and vegetable production in the entire province, he said.
