Besao, Mountain Province – The head of the region’s agriculture department called on the people to plant fruit trees and vegetables in their backyards as a way of pushing the economic agenda of the incumbent national leadership.
“The terrain in Mountain Province particularly here in Besao may not give enough space for massive agricultural production but it allows an area for every household to produce their family’s needs,” regional director Lorenzo Caranguian said.
The director likewise called on schools and other public institutions to do the same saying that the present generation have seemingly lost their touch and interest in agriculture. “This program will surely tickle the interest of our children in agriculture which is the very backbone of our economy. Nowadays, no one appears interested to pursue agriculture or fishery courses among the young. The children will also be able to experience real garden-simulated environment where they can grow various kinds of vegetables because as of now they cannot even differentiate a pechay from a tobacco plant,” Carangian added.
Carangian was here for the groundbreaking ceremonies of the 92 million peso road concreting project funded by the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP). The project will concrete at least an 8.6 kilometer stretch of the Besao-Nacawang road in support of coffee farmers in this western part of the province.
Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr. said the project will further improve the existing network that connects central Besao to the western part of the town more popularly known as the “Western Sky”. With a warm environment almost close to that of the lowlands, most part of the area is planted with lowland fruits and vegetables. The western most barangay is a mere stone throw away from the municipality of Quirino, Ilocos Sur. “With the Besao-Abra road now opened, the improvement of the Besao-Nacawang road will further enhance the potential of Besao as a trading center of western Mountain Province,” the governor said.
Aside from the lowland crops, the barren lands in Western Sky are believed to be highly mineralized where high grade copper and gold could be extracted. The people, however, fended off attempts from big mining companies to operate in the area.
On the same occasion, Besao mayor Johnson Bantog III bared his plan to introduce agricultural programs with the improvement of the road. He said that aside from coffee production, he intends to support the production of heirloom rice which he said suitable to the environment in the area. He added that he will ask the provincial and regional agriculture offices for their assistance for this endeavor. **angel baybay
