BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Department of Agriculture (DA-CAR) will be releasing to the local government some P2.5 million for the city’s vegetable enhancement program through the Gulayan sa Kapulisan, Gulayan sa Paaralan and urban gardening.
The project was conceptualized by the City Council Committee on Market, Trade, Commerce and Agriculture chaired by Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr. and approved by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, for the benefit of vegetable farmers in some barangays of the city and for residents wanting to venture into urban gardening.
Under the agreement between the local government and DA-CAR, the agency is tasked to ensure that the city has no unliquidated cash advances or funds transfer before the downloading of the funds earmarked for the project, provide the city the necessary technical support and assistance and to the program beneficiaries to ensure that the programs and objectives are met, monitor the status of the project, demand a technical report from the city reflecting the actual amount transferred and received by the city among others.
On the other hand, the local government is obliged to submit an approved project proposal, including list of approved beneficiaries and work and financial plan, issue an official receipt in the name of DA-CAR, designate the office of the Committee on market, Trade and Agriculture as the lead in implementing the project, provide an equity of not less than 20 percent of the total project cost either in the form of land, labor, equipment, machineries, monitoring funds, training funds and the life to be used in the project, maintain a separate savings or current account for the fund received and keep a separate subsidiary record for the trust liability among others.
Earlier, the local government through the aforesaid committee chaired by Councilor Yangot initiated the production of vegetables in the city as part of the support for increasing the volume of vegetables and that it has lined up numerous projects for the welfare of the urban vegetable farmers and foremost for the development of the vegetable industry.
The DA-CAR and the local government have common and complimentary objectives and have signified their intention, willingness and cooperation in achieving greater production of vegetables by urban farmers and at the same time achieving financial viability for the farmers themselves.
The local government is recognized by the DA-CAR as its partner in spearheading development efforts and activities of the agency’s programs and projects.
One of the priority programs of DA under the high value crops development program is the production of vegetables in the country towards cost competiveness and increased volume of production as part of the crop enhancement and expansion program and that it is mandated to partner with the concerned local governments in implementing development programs to attain food self-sufficiency by transforming the country from a food importer to an exporter.
DA-CAR is mandated to develop the country’s agriculture and fishery sector through the provision of support programs and training services to farmers and producers group to attain food self-sufficiency through efficient and competitive production cost for global competitiveness.
By Dexter A. See
