BAUKO, Mountain Province – The Cordillera office of the Department of Agriculture (DA-CAR) will be implementing more than P96.4 million worth of agriculture projects in the municipality next year to help boost the production of farmers and guarantee the easy transport of agricultural crops from the upland vegetable farms to the nearest markets.
Danilo Daguio, DA-CAR assistant regional director, said the numerous projects to be implemented in the locality next year is geared towards increasing rice production by 9.27 percent, corn production by 15.76 percent, vegetables by 23.34 percent, coffee by 12.08 percent, banana by 9.16 percent, strawberry by 28.01 percent and cassava by 448.01 percent.
Records show that by next year, P25 million was earmarked by the agency for the construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of farm to market roads in the different parts of the municipality while over P3.4 million worth of production facilities will be given out to various farmers associations in order to help them achieve their prescribed targets in realizing food self-sufficiency levels.
Daguio disclosed P860,000 will be used to implement various irrigation projects; P300,000 was earmarked for the provision of additional post-harvest facilities: P400,000 was set aside for the distribution of production equipment and machinery and over P1.2 million was allocated for the distribution of production inputs to qualified farmer beneficiaries.
Daguio disclosed bulk of the funds to be given to the municipality next year would be used up for the rehabilitation of the Banata-Sumey-Cuba-Sadsadan farm to market road with a total allocation of P65.2 million under the agency’s Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) in order to help improve the accessibility of remote villages to good roads leading to the markets where agricultural crops will be traded.
The DA-CARFU official pointed out the increase in yield and production of farmers would translate to increase in income and profit among farmers and would also contribute in the generation of more jobs thereby sustaining improved economic activities for the people in the locality.
Agriculture officials revealed there is a possibility that the funds earlier allocated by the agency for the different projects in the municipality will increase once the local government’s pending proposals with the PRDP will be qualified for funding and approved for implementation.
Mayor Abraham B. Akilit expressed the gratitude of the people and officialdom of Bauko to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala and the officials of the agriculture department for giving importance to the priority projects of the municipality in order to help improve the productivity of farmers and improve the road conditions to guarantee the immediate transport of agricultural crops from the farms to the markets.
By Dexter A. See