Keeping up with its noble intention of ensuring responsive agriculture in Ilocos Region, the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office I (DA-RFO I) awarded various interventions funded under its banner programs amounting to Php30 million to qualified Farmer Cooperatives and Association (FCAs)- recipients from the 2nd District of the Province of Ilocos Norte.

Held on October 17, 2022 at the DA Ilocos Norte Research & Experiment Center (DA-INREC) in Batac City, the distribution was graced by Ilocos Norte second district representative Cong. Angelo Marcos Barba, with Atty. Pancho Jose who represented Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc, together with DA-RFO I OIC-Regional Executive Director Dr. Annie Bares and Regional Technical Director for Operations Ms. Doris Joy Garcia.
To support the hybridization program of DA, Hybrid Palay Seeds were distributed worth P27.9M under the Rice Banner program.

Meanwhile, various farm implements such as plastic crates, knapsack sprayers, incubators, and forage choppers worth P608,000 were distributed under the Balik Probinsiya Program (BP2); Brush cutters, and pump and engine set worth P45,500 were distributed under the AMIA program; Shredder, Power sprayer, pump & engines sets, Soil Auger, brown rice mill, bio-pesticides, molasses and seedling trays worth P799, 453.00 were distributed under the Organic Agriculture Program.

In support of the Gulayan sa Barangay program and other vegetable production projects under the High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP), a total of P556, 652 worth of interventions were also distributed. The Corn banner program likewise awarded 1 unit Hammer Mill for the San Marcelino ET AL IA Inc. worth P175,000.

Under the Livestock Program, stocks such as cattle, sheep, and buck were awarded to FCAs worth P542,500.

Congressman Barba, in his message during the program, reiterated his support in lobbying for funds that will support programs and projects for the agriculture sector. He also mentioned the Young Farmers Challenge program of DA that aims to encourage the youth to venture into agribusiness and consider farming as a business that is vital in generating more jobs and livelihood for Filipinos. “Our farmers are aging. In Ilocos Norte, the average age of most farmers is 57 years old. We need younger generations to venture into agriculture. By providing interventions that would make farming more modernized, mechanized, and less laborious, we can perhaps address this concern for our farming sector.”, he said.

The DA-RFO I intends to fast-track awarding and distribution of various interventions in all four provinces of the region, hence more activities such as this are underway. ##