AGGIE UPDATE

Agriculture ‘key’ to economic growth
DEXTER A SEE

BAGUIO CITY – The promotion and enhancement of the local agriculture industry nationwide would be a potent factor in propelling the country towards the modern era.

This was disclosed by officials of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera and militant groups who are strongly advocating for sufficient government support for the country’s agriculture sector in order to address the prevalent rice crisis and food security problems in some parts of the country.

Both government and private sectors were in unison in demanding for a holistic approach on the current food crisis in the country that saw the prices of rice rise to over P40 a kilo despite repeated pronouncement by government officials on the sufficient supply of rice in the country.

At the same time, the multi-sectoral groups in the cordillera are calling on the National Food Authority (NFA) to flood the market with its abundant supply of locally-produced and imported rice to mitigate the effects of the so-called abnormal supply of cheap rice coupled with the hoarding activities done by big-time rice traders and retailers.

While expressing their support on the various mitigating measures being undertaken by concerned government agencies, the RDC and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in the cordillera is seeking national government policy for the stoppage of the conversion of vast tracks of agricultural lands to industrial lands that would eventually hamper the production of rice and other high value agricultural crops instrumental in sustaining the country’s food security for the future generation.

Ironically, militant groups admitted the government is simply putting a stop-gap measure on the effects of the food crisis but it does not have the concrete and realistic programs and projects that would propel the country’s agriculture sector into greater heights.

Cordillera groups are seeking for utmost government support on the preservation of the region’s vital watersheds considering that the cordillera is considered to be the “watershed cradle of Northern Luzon” and without proper preservation and protection efforts, the vast track of agricultural lands on the Ilocos, Cagayan and Central Luzon regions might dry up and would lead to a food crisis in the next few years.

Environmentalists predicted the occurrence of a serious water crisis in Northern Luzon in the next five years if no concrete effort is done by both government and private sectors to preserve the dwindling watersheds of the upstream Cordillera.

The RDC is continuously appealing for a collaborative effort in environmental preservation and protection among the local government units of Northern and Central Luzon to maintain abundant water supply for the various river systems flowing down the agricultural lands of the North as well as instill participatory watershed management among the affected communities so that people will be provided with the real information on the negative effects of massive deforestation which is considered to be detrimental in the country’s agriculture sector.