The Department of Agriculture (DA) has turned over more than P130 million worth of financial aid, equipment and irrigation projects in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
The agency said the assistance is expected to increase vegetable output while also promoting crop diversification and improving post-harvest facilities to stabilize farmers’ earnings and vegetable supply in the country.
“We recognize the Cordillera Region’s contributions as the producer of almost 80 percent of highland vegetables in the country. To further enhance the region’s output, we are turning over P417,000 worth of farm machinery to three farmer cooperatives and associations in the Mountain Province,” said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, in a meeting with officials, farmers, traders and other workers at the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC), last Friday.
DA said that an average 400 metric tons of vegetables are traded daily at the BAPTC.
The agency added the P130- million intervention will come from DA’s Philippine Rural Development Project Scale-up which has invested P2.73 billion in 104 completed infrastructure and enterprise subprojects in the six provinces comprising CAR.
“The assistance we’re providing is seen to promote sustainable growth through better production, processing, marketing, and distribution of high-value crops,” Laurel said.
He added cold storage facilities will also be built in several areas including Benguet, La Union, Taguig City, Mindoro and in Sariaya, Quezon to “dramatically extend the shelf-life of highland vegetables.”
Meanwhile, a total P25.9 million has been set aside for the rehabilitation of more than 8,200 hectares of rice fields damaged by Typhoon Egay as P82.9 million worth of rice production and post-harvest equipment and facilities were provided to local government units in Kalinga and Ifugao.
Over P41.2 million worth of completed irrigation projects were also given to CAR irrigators associations that is seen to increase yield in 195 hectares tilled by 299 farmers as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources turned over a community fish landing center and three units of fish cages worth P5.85 million fisherfolk groups in Apayao.
