LAGAWE, IFUGAO – – At least 196 heirloom rice farmers of Ifugao stand to benefit from the equipment given to them during the Farmer Field School graduation program in Lagawe. Understandably so. Yields are far from satisfactory level. There’s still time for change.
The assistance will be a big help to farmers, who are not only reeling from the effects of recent typhoons, but also from the high cost of living.
Farmers from Aguinaldo, Hingyon, Hungduan, Kiangan and Mayoyao expressed their gratitude to Mannylean Odias of the Department of Agriculture-CAR office, also the AVP focal person.
“Through this partnership, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering farmers in Ifugao, thus, ultimately, promoting heirloom rice production and improve farmers welfare,” Odias told the ZigZag Weekly.
“The Department of Agriculture continues to engage with them to ensure addressing the needs of farmers in the Cordillera Administrative Region,” she added.
Looking back on the province’s record from 2019 of the current administration, many folks credited the zeal, passion and grit in turning a poorly performing agriculture sector into a vibrant and productive one in some parts of Ifugao. The activity is the outcome of the dedication of Governor Jerry Dalipog who relentlessly sought means to upgrade the sector.
The key to boosting production and reducing the prices in the country is investments in agriculture. Small wonder, the national government is focusing on modernizing the farming sector. The flow of investments to the farming sector has been marked by modernization on the importance of farm mechanization.
There is much debate on the feasibility of heirloom rice production in the contemporary times. As beneficiaries eagerly wait in long lines for the long awaited “gadgets” such as shovels and fertilizers. The nation grapples with issues on dwindling rice supply, rice tariff plans and unimaginable conditions of the Regional Comprehensive Enhancement Partnership (RCEP) on agriculture. Sadly, the Ifugao farmer can’t fudge his sentiment on matter since discussion about it in any activity as this one is unheard of. Meantime, underdevelopment and inequality take its toll. The Philippine rural poverty rate is the worst in the South East Asian region at 32 percent, compared to Indonesia 15 percent and Vietnam’s 17 percent. Also, the Philippines is the only country with a negative agriculture trade balance. The Philippines is the world’s largest rice importer country.
There is not a good reason to revisit programs such as this one because farming in this part of the country has dramatically deteriorated.
This surely makes the job of improving the plight of farmers because it is not making a dent in uplifting their conditions and provide additional income to farmers.
The promises of heirloom rice business, it turns out, is not promising. Evidence suggests that farmers are heavily indebted and crude practices produce measly production. **By Anthony A. Araos
