BAGUIO CITY – Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong welcomed the coordination meeting initiated by DA-CAR Baguio City Agriculture Program Coordinating Office (APCO) focal person Dra. Ofelia Ducayag, stating the activity is an opportunity for the department and city government to synchronize efforts supporting the farmers in Baguio.
“This engagement will serve as a shopping list by the participants on what possible programs they can avail of from the department through the city government, we would like to directly establish a link between our farmers and the end users in Metro Manila and Quezon City where 8 public markets and 5 private markets have shown their interest in linking with the city for us to be one of the suppliers of high-value crops directly through a memorandum of agreement”, Magalong stated.
Currently, Baguio City has around 5,000 farmers listed under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA). Among the programs and projects currently being implemented in the city are 5 farm-to-market road (FMR) projects located at Bakakeng Norte, Camp 7, Happy Hallow, and Santo Tomas.
Under the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program (NUPAP), lowland and upland seedlings, citrus seedlings, and organic fertilizers were distributed, while inorganic fertilizers are being procured.
Community and school gardens are currently being managed by identified barangays, production modules on duck production are in the pipeline while waiting for the procurement of ducks to be used in the program, aside from various training for Baguio farmers conducted last May.
For the extension support services, 5 packages of technology training were conducted in the city on nursery management for urban catfish, beekeeping training, duck training production, training on hydro-phonics, entrepreneurial mind setting, and digital marketing.
For agricultural machinery equipment and facilities, DA-CAR is currently constructing a solar-powered greenhouse with hydro-phonics located at Pinsao Proper and Dontogan barangay that started this August, while one nursery at Gibraltar barangay.
City Councilor and Committee Chairman for Agriculture Arthur Allad-iw appreciated the conduct of the coordination meeting pointing out the importance of partnership between the government and its stakeholders.
“The city council identified some barangays as agricultural barangays because the reality is that they are producing agricultural products, and the outcome of your workshop will be highly considered and adopted in updating our ordinances related to agriculture production in the city. Maybe we can also ask the city and the DA for an area or areas where our city farmers can bring their highland vegetable products to be sold,” Alad-iw added. By JTLlanes
