BOOSTING FOOD PRODUCTION: The City Agriculture and Veterinary Office award farming machinery and equipment to 90 farmers at the City Nursery Demonstration Farm in Barangay Lara. Contributed picture
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — To enhance food production in the city, the local government of San Fernando, through the city agriculture and veterinary office, distributed farming equipment to about 90 farmers here Friday.
City agriculturist Cristina Sangumay said they are aiming to boost the farmers’ agricultural production of rice and commercial high-value crops.
“Ang kailangan talaga natin especially during this pandemic is food production. So nakapag-engage na tayo sa community through urban gardening pero para ma-attest natin na may food security sa isang lugar, kailangan i-boost din natin yung farm production,” Sangumay said.
The agriculturist also thanked Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago for prioritizing the city’s food production alongside health and social services.
“LGU-funded ang mga ipinamahagi nating ito under ng ating Annual Investment Plan 2020. Bale, hindi na tayo kinaltasan ni Mayor ng mga pondo natin kasi ang priority ng ating executive ngayon is really the food production,” she remarked.
“Nararamdaman ang suporta at kailanman, kahit na during crisis, hindi nakalimutan ang ating farming sector,” Sangumay added.
CAVO handed out 11 hand tractors, 93 knapsack sprayers, 10 power sprayers, seven grass cutters, five shallow tube wells, and a mobile dryer.
As partner to the LGU in this effort, the Department of Agriculture will also be giving out free fertilizers to the farmers.
Reynaldo Canlas, a rice farmer and recipient of hand tractor, expressed his gratitude to the city: “Malaking tulong po ito sa amin kasi kapag wala kang hand tractor, mahihirapan ka. Sobrang laking bagay nito para sa aming hanapbuhay lalo na po may walo akong anak. Maraming maraming salamat po,” he said.
Meanwhile, at the household level, CAVO has been very active in distributing free vegetable seedlings through walk-in transactions or their mobile nursery that roams around the 35 barangays of San Fernando since the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine.
This, according to Sangumay, is to urge all Fernandinos to join the urban gardening program of their department.
