TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Each participant was reminded of the significance of their responsibilities during the commemoration of the 10th Cordillera Administrative Region Federation of Irrigators Association (CARFIA) General Assembly, this August 10-11 which include not only providing water to farmers but also assisting in the growth of the economy.
Remy Albano, vice governor of Apayao and president of CARFIA, also exhorted millennials and other young professionals to pursue farming because, in his view, farmers are the foundation of the nation.
He continued by saying that if the youth lose interest in farming, no one will be left to cultivate the land and produce the rice and other necessities for our survival.
Albano advised that in order to better serve the requirements of the farmers, each irrigators association (IA) should establish its own cooperative.
With the advancements made in rice growing, Dir. Valentino Perdido, National Rice Programme Coordinator of the Department of Agriculture, who was also present in the assembly, said that the future of rice farming is looking bright and that it may once again be a very viable business.
Perdido also provided 4 essential tactics to increase rice crop harvest, including: adaption to climate change; clustering and consolidation of farms; use of the value chain; and electronic transformation.
Representing Engr. Josephine Salazar, Acting Deputy Administrators for Engineering and Operations from the Central Office of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Martin Tacloban, the Institutional Development Division Manager stated that for 60 years, NIA had been true to their objectives and would continue their advocacy to strengthen and capacitate the IA’s.
Tacloban added that more than 1.6 million farms are currently receiving services from NIA, and there are more than 11,500 IA around the country.
He continued by saying that even though NIA had been operating for 60 years, they were unable to enhance farmer life on their own.
As a result, they teamed up with several local governments and non-government organisations to provide farmers with improved services.
He thanked the farmers for their sacrifices to bring food to each citizen.
“We exist because of you [farmers]. Kung nakakakain ka ng bigas, magpasalamat ka sa mga farmers,” he ended. By Edward Joseph Gacuya