Cordillera farmers get P700-M agriculture aid

BAGUIO CITY – The Dept. of Agriculture has provided P700.44 million-worth of project assistance to 42 farmers’ associations and cooperatives in the Cordillera Administrative Region as part of its effort to increase productivity, income and competitiveness of food growers across the country.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar awarded the interventions, which cover various farm machinery, including tractors, irrigation systems and harvesters; farming technologies, including greenhouses; and other farm inputs, during a farmers’ forum on September 20 in La Trinidad, Benguet.

He said the initiative is part of the agency’s battle cry of bountiful harvest and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk, specifically done through reviving the pro-farmer and pro-consumer “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” program of the DA.

“Merong mga kaakibat na tulong at credit facilities ang bawat programa ng DA (There are corresponding assistance and credit facilities to each program of the DA).

We want to link farmers to market facilities in Metro Manila so that we can give them better opportunities to produce and earn more,” Dar added.

The Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita, a collaborative project of the DA Department of the Interior and Local Government and Food Terminal Inc. a government-owned and -controlled corporation aims to provide poor Filipino households with major agricultural goods at reasonably low prices.

“Through this intervention, we can now link farmers from Benguet to major market outlets in Metro Manila and even other cities in the Cordilleras and all over Luzon,” Dar said.

Benguet is considered as the “Salad Bowl” of the Philippines because of huge production of upland vegetables in the province.

It provides 80 percent of the country’s vegetable needs.

Under its new leadership, the DA was banking on its “new thinking” strategy which aims to empower farmers, fishers and the private sector to increase productivity and profitability through agriculture sustainability and resilience.

Such initiatives will focus on trading, marketing and value-adding activities, among others.

Dar said the DA will focus on growth and development on eight paradigms: modernization of agriculture, industrialization of agriculture, promotion of exports, farm consolidation, roadmap development, infrastructure development, higher budget and investments for agriculture and legislative support.