Ilagan City, Isabela—Secretary William Dar of the Department of Agriculture graced the inauguration of the Swine Breeding Complex of Charoen Pokphand Foods Corp., the No. 1 Agro-Industrial Company of Thailand in partnership with Sagittarian Agricultural Philippines Incorporated in barangay Sta. Victoria in this city on December 2 this year.
Sec. Dar emphasized that the innovation is the first of its kind in Northern Luzon.
“The revolutionized Swine Production in Cagayan Valley will be a replica of a modern agriculture in the future as it brings an economic impact in agriculture, Dar said.
Likewise, Secretary Dar signed the Memorandum of Understanding with City Mayor Josemarie L. Diaz for the establishment of the P250 Million Ilagan Corn Processing Center and a Memorandum of Agreement for the implementation of the Urban Agriculture project.
Mayor Diaz expressed his gratitude to Secretary Dar and the agency’s support to the farmers of Ilagan.
“These sequences of a breakthrough projects will transform the agricultural landscape of Ilagan as it will benefit 20,000 Ilagueno farmers, Diaz stressed.
Meanwhile, Isabela Governor Rodolfo T. Albano III conveyed his appreciation for the numerous and continued assistance of Secretary Dar and the Department of Agriculture to the province of Isabela also citing the distribution of cash and food subsidy for marginal farmers and fisher folks in Isabela province.
Dar said, the suggestion of Governor Albano is now realized through the Cash and Food Assistance program for non -rice farmers amounting to 4.5 billion taken from the 24.5 billion Bayanihan 2 budget as one of the top priorities of the Department of Agriculture for the assistance to corn, coconut, sugarcane farmers and fisher folks across the country.
Dar further said that Isabela has the biggest share with 12, 878 farmers as beneficiaries to the program.
The beneficiaries will receive P5, 000.00 each wherein 3,000 in cash and the 2,000 worth of assistance will include rice, chicken and egg.
In the same occasion, in order to provide useful information and technologies in line with climate-resilient strategies of the government Agriculture dad turned over the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) Farmers Entrepreneur Agriculture Cooperative Isabela the Climate Information and Learning Center.
“This is a first of the many villages that we will establish as part of the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture,” Sec. Dar stressed
In his message, the Agri chief encouraged all concerned units of the Department of Agriculture to upscale similar initiatives to meet the needs of the Filipino and enable them to adapt to climate change.
“I recognize and congratulate your efforts in the realization of this center, as this will help farmers improve production and increase income,” he said.
With Secretary Dar are Governor Rodolfo Albano III, Vice Governor Faustino Dy III, Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes, Regional Executive Director Narciso A. Edillo, Mayor Josemarie L. Diaz, Representative Antonio T. Albano, LPGMA Representative Allan Ty, VP Nattakorn Sujipittham, VP Phaisan Rewriab, other national officials and the City Council of Ilagan.
The City of Ilagan was proclaimed as the Corn Capital of the Philippines during its third cityhood anniversary on August 11, 2015 by the Department of Agriculture.
