The provincial government of Davao Oriental has turned over a total of P17.5 million total worth of farming materials, including various farming machinery, fertilizers, and seedlings, to farmer-beneficiaries from the different Local Government Units (LGUs) in the province.
Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon, who led the turn-over ceremony on Wednesday, September 15, expressed her desire to push agriculture, considering it is a primary driver of economic growth and a means to to provide food for everyone and uplift the living conditions of the people through sustainable income.
“To fulfill our dream for food security, we must be well-driven on our goals. We thank our farmers for being our inspiration because they are why everyone has food, even during these difficult times. Together we can defeat poverty,’’ Governor Malanyaon said.
Not leaving a single LGU behind, all eleven (11) Local Government Units (LGUs) in the province, together with their active associations, were extended with different interventions such as bags of corn and other vegetable seeds, bags of assorted fertilizers, container molasses, assorted grafted fruit, and other different tree seedlings, coffee seedlings, packs of micronutrient better yield, tools, and equipment, among others.
Under the Rice and Corn Program, the province distributed P3.5 million worth of machinery to the different farmer associations which are the: Don Mariano Marcos Rice Farmers Association, Upper Bagumbayan Paglaum Irrigators Association, Mahal Sitio Basakan Irrigators Association, Calapagan Rice Farmers Association and Kalatagan Small Farmers of Calapagan.
The machinery distributed included three (3) units of floating tillers, three (3) units of rice threshers, and one (1) unit of corn mill.
The sets of agricultural support interventions were implemented under the Improved Pagkain at Kita (IMPAK) Program, which aims to secure sustainable food production and an anti-poverty strategy to help in income generation in the effort for economic recovery.
Meanwhile, the Governor is also set to provide interventions for the fisherfolks as she recognized their struggles and difficulties.
To pave the way for avenues of opportunities for farmers, including livestock raisers and fisherfolks, Governor Malanyaon also shared another priority program: to boost tourism, which requires the agriculture sector to thrive. This, in turn, will help in the province’s economic recovery.
Concerning livestock development, another 100 heads of native chicken were also extended to the Municipal Agriculture and Fishery Council (MAFC) of Cateel, Davao Oriental.
Dr. Edito B. Sumile, the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRO) Department Head, encouraged the farmers to utilize the agricultural interventions to the fullest and benefit the community. Meanwhile, the PAGRO is also committed to helping monitor the development and impact of the turned over farming interventions to ensure they are appropriately utilized.
“These opportunities are given to you with trust and confidence from our Governor and the people. The greatest payback is to see their lives uplift,” Dr. Sumile said. By Mark Oliver Alvite
