Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar led the distribution and awarding of more than Php436 million worth of projects and intervention to various recipients in Ilocos Sur in the form of buildings and infrastructures, production inputs and loan assistance, rehabilitation assistance, marketing and post-harvest facilities, irrigation and farm to market roads as well as research and development innovation facilities.
In his two-day provincial sorties a day after the Christmas day, Sec. Dar once more poured out agri- fishery investments in the province leading towards the development of agri-fishery industry in Ilocos Sur.
On the first day of his visit, Sec. Dar joined by Narvacan Mayor Luis Chavit Singson together with Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College (ISPSC) President, Dr. Gilbert Arce led the inauguration of the ISPSC Administration Building – Narvacan Campus including the Php15 million worth of sea urchin facility in an effort to develop the sea urchin industry in the locality.
He likewise led the groundbreaking of the Php23 million worth of training and hatchery facilities for ISPSC professors and students which shall redound to better and more advanced teaching methods in fishery production in the area.
Upon the completion of the William Dar Agricultural Research and Innovation Center in ISPSC Sta. Maria, Sec. Dar also headed the inauguration of the building as well as the P100 million worth of provincial trading post located at Brgy. Danuman West, Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur.
Relief goods in the form of 25 sacks of rice and vegetable seeds were also given to those Typhoon Maring affected individuals while qualified farmers associations and individuals were also given interventions such as production inputs, farm machineries and equipment like tractors, pump and engine sets, recirculating dryers, livestock and poultry stocks and their biologics, fingerlings, etc.
The Burgos town, an adjacent municipality of Sta. Maria likewise visited the Secretary to inaugurate the P5million worth of Sta. Maria-Burgos warehouse with its P2.5 million worth of recirculating dryer to pump up the production of rice commodity in the area.
With all these interventions poured out in the three municipalities, all three mayors including ISPSC President Gilbert Arce expressed their gratitude to the leadership of Sec. Dar for bringing all these agri-interventions and innovations all for the development and growth of the agri-fishery sector in the province of Ilocos Sur in particular and in Ilocos Region in general.
