Incoming Agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Monday laid out the Duterte administration’s plans for the agriculture sector, including a cash for work program to help farmers and fishers displaced by El Niño dry spell.
“This roadmap was crafted after the rigorous nationwide journey called Biyaheng Bukid which, except for a few remaining island provinces, brought me to almost all parts of the country,” Piñol said in a statement.
Pinol said for the first 100 days of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, the Agriculture Department would implement a cash for work program for farmers and fishermen.
“Work includes manual repair and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities for farmers and cleaning of coastal waters of garbage and planting of mangrove trees for fisherfolk,” he said.
Piñol said the agency would also start a national mapping in order to determine which crop or agricultural activity would be best in a specific area.
He said the government would also start a national food consumption survey to determine the kind of food and volume of food commodities consumed by Filipinos.
“This would also project the food consumption of the country in relation to population growth,” Piñol said.
Inspection of irrigation services, dredging of silted dams and provision of shallow tube wells to ensure sufficient supply of water for the next rice planting season will also be conducted, he said.
Piñol said DA will also support in the form of seeds, fertilizers, farm inputs and distribute fishing boats and nets to the country’s fisherfolk.
“ A special project titled Pagkain Para sa Masa will be launched in Metro Manila establishing arrozcaldo feeding stations to ensure that the street dwellers and the homeless will not go to sleep on an empty stomach,” Piñol said.
He said the project would be implemented jointly with the Health and Social Welfare Departments and local government units in Metro Manila.
“Pagkain Para sa Masa will serve as the first step towards ensuring that the street dwellers, urban poor and the homeless will be identified and later trained for vegetable growing using the Israel Green House technology,” Piñol said.
Piñol said the agency would also engage the Badjaos in cleaning the waters of coastal communities.
It would also coordinate with the Health, Social Welfare and Education Departments to launch a community-based milk feeding program in areas where farmers were involved in dairy production.
The National Food Authority will also be directed to pre-position sufficient rice and food supplies in areas affected by La Niña.
“Inter-agency connectivity between the DA and the Bureau of Customs will also be established during the first 100 days of President Duterte to ensure that the smuggling of rice, meat products and other agricultural products like onion, garlic and even ginger will stop,” Piñol said.