LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Preparations are underway for the provincial government’s hosting of the ‘Umaani’ Expo on March 27 to April 1 to showcase Pangasinan’s abundance of food staples that could potentially support the thrust for agro-industrial enterprise.
A brainchild of Governor Amado I. Espino, III, the Umaani Expo, an agro-industrial trade expo and fair is expected to bolster the provincial government’s aim to expand existing markets for farm crops and fish commodities in line with the national government’s food security plan.
Governor Espino, through executive order no. 011-2017 which he issued on February 6 for the creation of executive committee and technical working group for the Umaani fest, stressed that the agricultural event will also serve as a converging point for transfer of new technology and farming system and step up farm mechanization in Pangasinan.
“The development of agriculture and fishery sectors of the province is one of the priorities in the Ten Point Development Thrusts of the Provincial Government to achieve equitable distribution of benefits and opportunities and also to maximize their contribution to the province’s wealth and progress,” the executive order reads.
The executive order also stated that the provincial administration recognizes the importance of agriculture in making available and safe food necessary to sustain human life and to provide livelihood to major sector of the province’s population.
Owing to the intense push in agriculture during the 9-year term of governor and now 5th district Rep. Amado T. Espino, Jr., Pangasinan is now among the top producers of quality rice and corn in the country.
In a coordination meeting held on February 15 at the Provincial Agriculture Office in Tebag, Sta. Barbara, Officer-in-Charge Provincial Agriculturist Dalisay Moya convened stakeholders of the agriculture sector along with representatives from various agencies and offices of the provincial government for the initial presentation of the proposed activities for the six-day festival.
By Dexter A. See
