Gov't pushes initiatives to increase rural income
Small farmers and fisherfolks' income are expected to increase as they can now improve the quality of their produce that command higher prices with the construction of more post-harvest and storage facilities for agricultural and fisheries products this year.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said in a Department of Agriculture (DA) press report that this effort is one of the arrays of fresh farm-and consumer-friendly initiatives started by the Arroyo administration through DA which are likely to bear fruit for consumers and rural folks in the new year.
According to the report the DA is assisting farmers in preserving the quality of their rice grains and reducing quantitative losses through low-cost drying systems equipped with cost-effective biomass furnaces which will entail a total budget of P1.5 billion.
"The farmers can raise their per-hectare yields and incomes with the use of hybrid rice technology, which is a component of the Ginintuang Masagana Ani (GMA) Rice Program", said Yap.
Meanwhile, under the GMA Corn Program, the DA aims to hike productivity in existing corn farm clusters covering 468,500 hectares, enhance efficiency in post-harvest and transport logistics and improved marketing linkages between farmers and end-users.
Yap further identified other on-going and new initiatives of the DA for 2007 which include: installation of cold chain and delivery systems for vegetables and fruits in strategic areas with direct linkages to urban markets; expansion of mariculture parks with cold storages and direct links to wet markets; implementation of a coconut rehabilitation program which focuses on teaching farmers to diversify and tap other uses for this versatile farm product; repair and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities and other rural infrastructure; development of new lands for agribusiness; and maintaining the Philippines' status as a leader in abaca production by undertaking a rehabilitation of all typhoon-hit abaca lands in the Bicol region.
Yap said these government initiatives are meant to attack poverty, mitigate hunger and pull down commodity prices by creating more jobs and raising incomes in the countryside, and better managing the supply chain so as to put more affordable food on the table for Filipino families.
Recently, according to estimates, the country's agriculture has grown by 4.7 to 5 percent last year despite the damage effects of the typhoons in the third and fourth quarters.
(PIA)