BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Cordillera rice farmers support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka (BBM) program that aims to ensure that quality and affordable rice will be available to the Filipino people especially to the vulnerable sectors of society.
Cordillera Confederation of Irrigation Association President Remy Albano expressed gratitude to the national government for the program during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum at the National Irrigation Office in Wangal, La Trinidad on Oct. 22, 2024.
“Kami po ay natutuwa at taus pusong nagpapasalamat sa ating mahal na Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr, NIA Administrator AD Guillen at DA Secretary Kiko Laurel Jr. dahil sila po ay naglatag ng ganitong programa na contract farming, wherein kami pong mga IA(irrigators association) farmer- members sa ngayon ay nakikita namin na ito ang aming magandang future sa aming pagbubukid. Dito nga ay naranasan naming ‘yung pagparamdam ng ating gobyerno sa kanilang tulong at suporta sa aming magbubukid,” Albano said.
[We are so glad and grateful to Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos, NIA Administrator AD Guillen and DA Secretary Kiko Laurel Jr for coming up with this contract farming program wherein we, the IAs farmer- members, see this as our bright future in farming. Through this, we feel the presence of government in helping and supporting the farmers.]
He expounded how the contract farming program is helping them in growing their crops.
“Ito pong contract farming ay nagpapagaan sa aming problema dahil ‘pag naumpisahan naming magbukid, ang unang iisipin naming ay yung pinansyal, ang capital, kaya maganda ang contract farming na ito dahil ang gobyerno through NIA ay nagpapahiram sila ng aming capital. Dito naranasan namin ang pagparamdam ng kanilang tulong at pagsuporta sa amin.”
[This contract farming lightens our burden because the first thing we think when we farm is the financial aspect, the capital, that is why this contract farming is good because the government through the NIA lends us capital.]
Domingo Awas, president of the Benguet Federation of Irrigators’ Associations, shared how Benguet farmers are benefiting from this program.
‘Tungkol sa contract farming, maraming benefits sa amin. yung produkto ng Apayao at Kalinga na rice maraming nabinefitan dito, yung mga senior citizens, PWD, single parents at ska 4Ps. Kasi sa Benguet, only 5 percent of rice land and natataniman,” Awas said.
Rice produce of IAs in Kalinga and Apayao participating in the contract farming program were recently sold by NIA CAR to the vulnerable sectors from Benguet at P29 per kilo on a ten kilograms packaging.
NIA Cordillera Regional Manager Benito Espique Jr. reported that the NIA, under the directive of the President and through its Support Services Program, is working on the Rice Contract farming scheme with irrigation associations with the aim to sell a P29 per kilo of rice on a ten kilogram packaging to senior citizens, solo parent and indigents, which is about half the price of what is being sold in the market today.
Institutional and Equipment Operations Chief Liza Jane Challikis expounded that for Cordillera, the BBM pilot projects are Kalinga involving Irrigator Associations at the Upper Chico River Irrigation System and one communal irrigation system in the municipality of Rizal, and Apayao, in partnership with IAs in the West Apayao Abulug Irrigation System and seven communal systems located in Flora, Sta Marcela and Luna.
Out of the 496 hectares of rice farmlands listed under the program, the produce of 234 hectares have been harvested, which benefitted 9,437 families from the marginalized sector.
Espique led other NIA-CAR officials and irrigator’s association in the Kapihan media forum to report on their accomplishments and priority thrusts under the Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. **JDP/CCD-PIA CAR