Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Friday led the turnover ceremony of about PHP115.46 million worth of farm and fisheries equipment and supplies eyed to boost food production and sustainability.

During the event at the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Agricultural Training Institute-National Training Center (ATI-NTC) at the Benguet State University (BSU), Tiu Laurel said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has made specific instructions to help the farmers and make farming bankable.

“Improving the situation of the agricultural stakeholders is not an easy task but with the collaboration and cooperation of everybody, achieving the goal of making the lives of farmers better is achievable,” he said.

Among the assistance distributed during the day are PHP5,000 aid under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) in the DA’s Rice Banner Program, four-wheel tractor, hand tractor, transplanter, seeder, rice reaper, harvester, and rice mill.

Also, recirculating dryer from the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development Mechanization (PhilMech), benefitting 10 farmers’ cooperative and associations; multi-cultivators from the High-Value Crop Development Program (HVCDP); vegetable seeds, ameliorant, high-density polyethylene pipes for Typhoon Egay-affected rice farmers; and six community irrigation projects in all provinces of the region worth PHP41 million.

Tiu Laurel, who visited the Cordillera for the first time as Agriculture Secretary, also checked the cold chain facility of the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC), which is jointly run by the DA and BSU.

He also had a dialogue with vegetable industry stakeholders to determine how the Agriculture department can strengthen the Kadiwa ng Pangulo, a program that directly connects farmers and producers to consumers.

Tiu Laurel said at least one trading post will be established per province as market access for agricultural producers.

He also agreed to a suggestion to have the 20 or at least some of the vegetables that are among the ingredients of “chopsuey”, a sauteed mixed vegetables dish, as a banner program, and to allocate funds to boost the agriculture sector in the Cordillera that is focused on highland vegetables. (PNA)