Gov. Lilia Pineda launches the ‘Gulayan sa Paaralan’ project in Magalang town, Pampanga on Monday.
Listening to her speech are Board Members Fritzie David-Dizon, Trina Dizon, Monz Laus, Nestor Tolentino and Cris Garbo.
Photo by Ric Gonzales
LUBAO, Pampanga – Gov. Lilia Pineda has adopted an agricultural modernization program aimed at increasing Pampanga’s yield until 2016.
Pineda, who grew up in a one-hectare farmland tilled by her father in Barangay Sta. Cruz, said she and the provincial board had set aside some P60 million for the agriculture program of the province.
The budget, Pineda added, will be largely used for the initial stages of the PAMP 2016, or the Pampanga Agriculture Modernization Program 2016 – Bringing Agriculture to Better Yield Project.
The program was prepared by her consultant Roy Imperial, former executive director of the North Luzon Agri-business Quadrangle and director of High Value Commercial Crops of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Pineda said she had asked Imperial and Crispin Guintu, officer-in-charge of the office of the provincial agriculturist, to “thoroughly study” the effects of climate change in agricultural planting.
“Some of our farmers keep planting but end up losing because they don’t apply modern technology. They fail to consider climate change before working on their lands,” said Pineda.
Imperial said the provincial government will continue studies on how to produce seeds that can survive the effects of flooding, strong rains and winds spawned by typhoons and change in weather’s cycle caused by the destruction of the ozone layer.
He added that it’s known as “submergence and drought-tolerant variety of seeds.”
Imperial said he and Guintu would work for the creation of “seed banks” in the province’s four congressional districts.
Imperial, who travelled in many parts of the world and country as former DA official to study latest agricultural technology, said Pampanga will adopt modern agricultural practices used in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.
“We are doing this in line with the directive of the governor to maximize our funds by using modern technology to improve our production,” said Imperial.
RICE PRODUCERS
The total land area of Pampanga is 218,068 hectares, out of which 53,644 hectares is used for rice production, according to the data of the provincial government.
The area for planting corn — mostly in Mexico and nearby Sta. Ana town — is 11, 433 hectares. Vegetables are produced in 2,622 hectares, while 6,536 hectares is for orchards.
There are 32,697 rice farmers in Pampanga, and most of whom are also the producers of vegetables and fruits.
There are 5,433 corn farmers. Some areas in Floridablanca, Porac and Mexico towns are used in sugarcane production but most farmers in the province still prefer to produce rice, said Imperial.
Last month, Pineda distributed 12,000 bags of certified seedlings to farmers affected by the recent typhoons.
The governor said the PAMP 2016 plan also comprises the construction of post-harvest facilities such as warehouses.
Pineda said partnership with private groups is crucial to sustain and improve agricultural and fish production.
Best Choice Harvest (BCH), a subsidiary of Agri Nurture Incorporation (ANI), recently started to assist Pampanga farmers with technology about the production of high value commercial crops and provide the necessary farm inputs.
Larry Lacson of the BCH provided fertilizers to farmers at prevailing prices in the market. The BCH also bought the produce of farmers also at prevailing prices in the market.
“The BCH teaches modern farming for free and that alone is a big benefit,” said Imperial.
TONS OF FISH
In the recent harvest this year, Pampanga produced 96,000 metric tons of tilapia out of 6,900 hectares of fishponds.
In brackish-water fishponds in Pampanga’s coastal towns, some 6,333 metric tons of tilapia had been produced. There are some 19,000 hectares of fishponds in Pampanga’s coastal towns.
Imperial said the tilapia raisers are “well-learned and equipped that’s why they don’t experience much trouble.”
Pineda asked Imperial to further study tilapia and other production of fish varieties such as bangus to prevent “fish kill” similar to what happened in Minalin town about seven years ago.
Pineda also wanted the registration of farmers and fisherfolk to ensure that proper assistance would be given to them once their productions are affected by calamities.
Pineda, after her state of the province address on August 1, launched the “Gulayan sa Paaralan” project in 10 public schools in Magalang. She said young students must be reminded of the importance of “planting and eating vegetables.”
Pineda based the PAMP 2016 on the recent report of the DA’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) on the performance of the Philippine Agriculture from January to March of 2011.
The BAS noted that the agriculture grew by 4.10 percent in the first quarter of 2011.
“Production in the crops subsector was up by 8.19 percent and the main contributors were palay, corn, sugarcane and banana,” said BAS.
“There was a slow down in the livestock subsector while poultry production sustained its upward trend. Fisheries production declined. At current prices, the gross value of agricultural output amounted to P347.2 billion or 12.72 percent more than last year’s record,” it added.
Pineda said they studied the problems hounding the fish and agriculture productions through the past and recent BAS studies and other reports of the DA.
“So, after one year, we finally have a road map to the agricultural development of Pampanga. We just can’t use public funds without expert studies,” said Pineda.
She said her government will push the production of high-value commercial crops as they will yield better income for farmers.
Pineda will also ask Clark Development Corporation (CDC) to allow farmers to use several “unused” areas at the Clark Freeport for the production of commercial crops. Clark’s total land area is about 4,400 hectares.
“If the CDC needs the land already, the farmers can easily remove their crops without losing much investment,” said Pineda.
She said they will respect the decision of CDC President and CEO Felipe Antonio Remollo on the use of Clark lands for farming benefiting farmers mostly from Mabalcat town.
The first-term governor stressed that aggressive use of idle lands for farming promotes the value of hard work, not to mention it prevents hunger and poverty.
