DA Sec. Dar visit postponed
The visit of Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William D. Dar to Bohol has been postponed.
In his deferred visit tomorrow, Sec. Dar is supposed to keynote the Farmers’ Big Day as well as lead the ceremonial handover of farm machineries, SURE Aid, SAAD Program at the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)7 Covered Court, Dao, Tagbilaran City and the launching of the Soils and Water Laboratory in Poblacion, Carmen.
Dr. Larry M. Pamugas, Officer-In-Charge, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) said that Sec. Dar would attend the urgent meeting tomorrow called by President Rodrigo RoaDuterte in Malacañang.
Pamugasbared that there is no definite date yet on when to push through the Farmers’ Big Day waiting the available time of the secretary.
According to Regional Executive Director Atty. Salvador D. Diputado, DA-Regional Field Office (RFO)7 during the opening program of the 5thPamaskongTabosa DA last Tuesday held at the Bohol Agricultural Promotion Center (BAPC) Ground, Dao, Tagbilaran City said that part of the secretary’s itineraries is to lead the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) of the Agricultural Extension Service Program with the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) official as the province serves as the pilot area in the Visayas.
Atty. Diputado said the program aims to strengthen the cooperation of the DA and the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) to help the farmers who are affected in the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law.
He explained that in the implementation of the law, the farmer entrepreneurs have been affected, however, the consumers have been benefited because of the good quality and cheap prices of imported rice that flooded at the markets.
The DA-RFO7 Regional Executive Director emphasized that under the program, the DA and the provincial government have committed to look for the markets of palay so as the farmers have no problems to sell their products.
SOILS AND WATER LABORATORY LAUNCHING
The Soils and Water Laboratory to be launched by Sec. Dar in Carmen is very imported considering that the soil and water are the most important ingredients in agriculture.
He said that through laboratory testing the composition of the soil would be determined and that would be the basis on what kind of plants suitable to be planted in the area.
Diputado said the DA will provide personnel to manage the laboratory.
PARADIGMS TO LEVEL UP AGRICULTURE
Atty. Diputado disclosed the 8 paradigms to level up agriculture under the new secretary which are the following: modernization must continue, industrialization of agriculture is the key, promotion of export is necessity, consolidation of small-and-medium size firms, infrastructure development should also be critical, higher budget and investment for Philippine agriculture, legislative support is needed, and roadmap development is paramount.
He said these are the new programs of DA to ensure that the country has a strong food security and the farmers and fisherfolks have uplifted their way of living.
Meanwhile, in the campaign against Asian Swine Fever (ASF), Atty. Diputado admitted that the DA-RFO7 and even the PGBh through the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPV) are not ready to prevent the spread of the disease in the province.
He said the biosecurity programs or the precautionary measures that have been drawn or undertaken are not enough to ensure that Bohol becomes an ASF free. (AtoyCosap)
