ILOILO – The very first dialogue between farmers and fisherfolks in the province and Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. has been fruitful.
Defensor, with Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Ildefonso Toledo, called the presidents of farmer and fisherfolk organizations as well as municipal agriculture officers during the “Hinun-anon kay Gob.” It highlighted the opening of the 2nd Farmers’ and Fisherfolks’ Week with the theme “Mangunguma kag Mangingisda kaupod sang Probinsya sa Pagtib-ong sang Ekonomiya” at the Casa Real Grand Social Hall on Oct. 2.
The dialogue aims to address the gaps and issues confronting the agriculture sector, including support from the Iloilo provincial government to strengthen the rural-based organizations (RBOs), such as the Rural Improvement Club (RIC), the 4-H Club of the Philippines, and livestock and poultry raisers.
Defensor said he can issue an executive order to institutionalize the RBOs in municipalities.
The governor said he would also look into the issue of some farmers who were not registered with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) of the Department of Agriculture (DA), and he would also identify the possible assistance they could not avail of.
“Let us address the gap sa wala na-register kag kon ano ang dapat ihatag nga assistance,” Defensor said.
The governor also said the provincial government is currently working on implementing a hybrid program to increase rice production from 3.5 metric tons per hectare to 5.5 metric tons next year.
Toledo, for his part, said they are optimistic that the province will avail of the hybrid rice program from DA Region 6. Under the program, Iloilo will be allocated 60,000 bags of hybrid rice.
Currently, only 3,000 hectares of farmland in the province are for hybrid rice.
This was after Defensor allotted P30 million to implement Province-led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Systems (PAFES).
Under the program, each qualified farmer could receive one bag of hybrid seeds for every hectare of rice land. However, a farmer could only avail of a maximum of two bags.
Another issue raised by participants was about water supply facilities. The province will implement small water compounding projects and small-scale irrigation projects as a response.
The governor also assured assistance to the RIC, an association of rural women that aims to uplift the families of farmers and fisherfolks.
For the fisheries sector, the provincial government recently purchased two new patrol boats for its Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force to strengthen its campaign against illegal fishing and further protect the Visayan Sea.
Resilience hubs worth P5 million are also being constructed in coastal towns, serving as nerve centers for disaster risk reduction and management programs.
Defensor also vowed to increase the floating assets of municipalities.
The weeklong celebration is also highlighted by the Agri-Fishery Trade Fair at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol grounds, where fresh farm and fishery products are on display and available for sale.
Various ornamental plants are also on exhibit at the Garden Show at the back of the National Museum (formerly Iloilo Rehabilitation Center), and there are also farm machinery and equipment displayed at the Capitol’s main entrance.
The Agri-Fishery Trade Fair is open until Friday, Oct. 6./PN
