DA, Samar holds 2nd Prov’l Farmers, Fisher Folks Congress

By Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu

Tuesday 7th of August 2012

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar, Aug 7 (PIA) -- The provincial government of Samar and the Department of Agriculture in Region 8 (DA-8) in Samar held the second Provincial Farmers and Fisher Folks Congress at the Samar Gymnasium, Catbalogan City on August 6.

DA-8 Director Antonio Gerundio encouraged the farmers in the congress to be an agribusiness enthusiast or be an entrepreneur.

“Think of how much will return to you if you invest in any kind of farming, and how much you will benefit from it,” he said.

Gerudio also encouraged farmers as parents to encourage their children to eat vegetables.

Abito Diaz, Matuguinao Municipal Agriculture and Fisheries Council Chairman (MAFC), a farmer owning a hectare of rice field said that this is his first time to attend a farmers’ congress and he learned a lot from it.

Diaz also benefited from DA seeds distribution and Akbay financial assistance of P10,000.

The whole day event was led by Vice Governor Stephen James Tan, Provincial Agriculturist Anita Taran with farmers’ representatives in fisheries, livestock, corn, rice, and High Valued Commercial Development Program (HVCDP) from 26 municipalities of Samar as participants.

Tan said that the congress is right on time in the sense that the province will conduct an Annual Investment Plan (AIP) and with the request from the farmers he said that agriculture will get the second highest budget for 2013.

“More on road networks or concreting of farm to market roads are our priority to help our farmers,” said Tan.

Representatives from the Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Council (PAFC), Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council (RAFC), National Agriculture and Fisheries Council (NAFC DA Quezon City), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Samar, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource-Region 8 and DA-8 also attended the congress.

During the activity, Tan led the signing of memorandum of agreement (MOA) for Automatic Weather Station (AWS) between Director Rosella Gopo DOST and Eduardo Dela Cruz of Pag-asa.

This MOA is in line with the AWS device received by Governor Sharee Ann Tan during the Disaster Risk Reduction Management meeting recently. (EOT/PIA8-Samar Avha H. Ebalde)