Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Friday met with groups operating national and communal irrigation systems in south-central Mindanao to drum up support for a national drive to increase agricultural production for food security.
“Kami po sa Kagawaran ng Agrikultura ay kasama ng ating Pangulo Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. sa pagsusulong ng food security, ang kanyang number one priority,” Secretary Laurel told participants of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Region XII’s Regional Irrigators’ Associations Congress held in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.
The participants were led by NIA administrator Eddie Guilen, local government officials, and leaders of various irrigators groups in the provinces of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Saranggani, and General Santos City.
Irrigators from Maguindanao del Sur and del Norte in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) also joined the conference.
“Alam ko na ang NIA ay ating malakas na kaagapay sa pagpapalago ng produksyon ng palay at iba pang produktong agrikultural, at pagpapababa ng presyo ng bigas sa halagang mas abot-kaya ng ating mga kababayan sa pamamagitan ng pagtatayo ng mga proyektong pang-irigasyon sa iba’t ibang panig ng Pilipinas,” Laurel told the participants.
The agriculture chief actively participated in the irrigators congress, which served as a venue to discuss challenges to increasing farm production as well as best practices and innovative solutions. The participants also discussed the goals of widening irrigation coverage and maintaining existing irrigation infrastructure.
Secretary Laurel also assisted NIA in distributing P18-million worth of operation and maintenance subsidy to irrigators’ associations for maintenance of their respective irrigation systems.
Laurel also met with officers of the National Confederation of Irrigators Association, the umbrella organization representing irrigators’ groups in the Koronadal City event to formulate solutions to help farmers. ### (OSEC Comms/photo by RAFIS-12)
