MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday reported that agency’s infrastructure program generated more than 14,000 jobs this year.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said that from January to October, a total of 10,907
jobs were generated through the farm-to-market roads program of the (DA), while the 12 corn postharvest processing and trading centers established through the National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor), under Honesto Baniqued Jr., created 3,668 jobs during the same period.
Apart from creating jobs, Alcala said DA was able to develop 12,988 hectares for cultivation, restored 10,061 hectares and rehabilitated a total of 42,423 hectares under the National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) Irrigation Development Plan.
Forty-seven small-scale irrigation projects (SSIPs) have also been installed, the DA chief reported.
He claimed these national and communal irrigation systems are viable means of increasing the cropping intensity and areas for harvesting.
"We have raised awareness among our stakeholders regarding the importance of seed security as going beyond providing seeds and warehouses. Concurrent with this, a seed security program was launched consisting of community-based seed banks and seed buffer stocks that will ensure farmers’ access to quality seeds at the right place and at the right time," Alcala said.
"Our agencies are now open to formal and informal seed systems to maximize access to affordable seeds for various ecosystems. Instead of distributing seeds that cost the government R1,200 per 40-kilogram bag of certified seeds, the first batch of farmers were given two kilograms of registered seeds costing R40 per kilogram which they will grow in order to produce their own quality seeds for the following cropping seasons," he disclosed.
Alcala justified the scrapping of seed subsidies promoted by the previous administration, saying that the new policy achieved the following: Farmers got the seeds they preferred; farmers now buy their own seeds after seeing the result of planting good seeds, while seed growers got paid in cash rather than wait for payment of government-subsidized seeds, and, rice production increased at record levels after the seed subsidy was abandoned.
Alcala said the Agri-Pinoy program continues to stabilize supply and increase producers’ incomes through the Value Chain Approach.
"Success stories include the mitigation measures carried out for the vegetable industry in Benguet during the frost formation in January, 2011, and the emergence of Nueva Vizcaya as the country’s second major salad bowl, helping Dupax del Sur to produce more quality vegetables such as lettuce, Baguio beans, bell pepper, tomato, and squash from a total of 1,000 hectares of farms," Alcala said.
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