Chatto lauds agri partners, cites sector as challenging

Governor Edgar M. Chatto described agriculture over the weekend as the most challenging sector in society.
During the convocation program of the province last Monday hosted by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), Gov. Chatto lauded the rural, women, youth and agriculture partner sectors in supporting the plans and programs of the provincial government that geared towards agriculture.
Chatto underscored the agri partners as he said that we can never reach the ground level in our services if we do not use partnership.
He called on the agriculture sector to go into commercial quantity production to address the consumption growth of Bohol wrought about by the increasing number of tourists especially when the Panglao Bohol Airport operates.
Chatto encouraged the sector to make sure that not only the rice production would go high but also the livestock, and high value crops production.
The governor called that even during the time that Bohol experienced El Niño and other calamities but the province still showed high record in terms of movement in growth because of the interventions by the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) like the cloud seeding operations, on-farm rice mechanizations, government services and support INSPIRED-HEAT IT program, and the services through the Countryside Development Program – Purok Power Movement (CDP-PPM) among others.
Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Larry M. Pamugas in the convocation program reported the OPA highlights of accomplishments 2016 for the rice, corn, High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP), crop facilities, organic agriculture development engineering support services, fisheries and agribusiness programs.
On the rice program, Pamugas reported on seed production, Rice Assistance Program for Institutional Development (RAPID), rice commercialization program, El Niño Interventions (distribution of hybrid rice seeds, conducted cloud seeding), on-farm rice mechanization, initiative programs.
For the corn program, he talked about the seed production, Bohol Corn Seed Assistance Project (BCSAP); HVCDP-Ubi Pahulam Project; Bahay Kubo FAITH HOPE CHARITY, Gulayan sa Paaralan; Crops Facilities-BOATech Center-Gabi, Ubay; Macaas Nursery (Macaas, Tubigon); Bilar Hatchery-BISU, Bilar; Engineering Support Services – Farm Mechanization, Post Harvest, Irrigation; Fisheries – Upland Aquaculture Development and Marine Aquaculture Development; Agribusiness-assisted People’s Organizations (Kapunungan sa Bol-anong Organikong Mag-uumang (KaBoOM), Bohol Micro Agri-Processors for Development (Bohol MADc), and Ka-ABAG.
The conduct of cloud seeding operations played an important role to mitigate the impact of El Niño on the production of Boholano farmers, Pamugas remarked.
Without stretching the mind too far, Pamugas is positive that the rice production in Bohol would increase once the validated 43 Small Farm Reservoir (SFR) sites (Mabini-14 sites, Alicia – 14 sites, Ubay -13, and Guindulman – 2), and the validated feasible sites for 23 Small Water Impounding Projects and five Diversion Dam Projects would be constructed.
He likewise proudly reported that the province of Bohol has been producing the organically grown products such as vegetables, fruits, root crops, rice and herbs some of which have been sold at the “Tabo sa Plaza” every Wednesday. (Atoy Cosap)