Isusulong ng pamahalaang lokal ng Nueva Vizcaya ang Food Safety program sa buong lalawigan.

Ito ang naging pahayag ni Governor Carlos M. Padilla sa Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office No. 02 sa napipintong selebrasyon ng Food Safety Month sa darating na Septyembre 2021.

Bilang suporta, sesertipikahang priority ordinance ni Governor Padilla ang kasalukuyang binabalangkas na ordinansa sa Food Safety ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

Sa isinagawang briefing ng Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office No. 02 sa pamumuno ni Regional Technical Director Rose Mary G. Aquino sa ama ng lalawigan tungkol sa pagbisita ni Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar sa Septyembre 4, 2021 upang pangunahan ang Food Safety Month celebration, sinabi ni Padilla na kanya ng ipinaalam sa mga board members ang kahalagahan ng pagpapalabas ng ordinansa.

Aniya, ito ay hindi lang bilang suporta sa isinusulong ng DA at iba pang ahensiya ng gobyerno tulad ng Department of Health kundi ang maiseguro ang kalusugan ng mga mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng produksiyon ng ligtas na pagkain.

“Hangad nating lahat ang malusog na mga tao upang maging progresibo ang ating probinsiya,”sambit ng gobernador.

Sinabi pa ni Padilla na tutulungan ang mga asosasyon ng mga vegetable producers sa probinsiya na magkaroon ng mga pagsasanay at kagamitan upang mapanatiling ligtas ang kanilang produkto sa pamamagitan ng Good Agricultural Practices na isinusulong ng DA.

Pormal din niyang inindorso na kung maaari ay mabigyan din sila ng mga rapid test kits o RTK na makakatulong upang makita kung ang kanilang mga gulay ay mayroong mataas na pesticide residue bago ibenta sa publiko.

Partikular na kanyang tinukoy ang grupo ng Greeners MPC sa Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya dahil sa kanilang programang Farm to City o F2C.

Ang F2C ay isang kasunduan ng grupo at Quezon City Government na magsusupply ang Greeners MPC ng gulay para sa mga residente sa siyudad.

Sabi ng gobernador na dapat ang mga idedeliver na mga produkto ay pawang mga pesticide residue safe.

Samantala, labing tatlo na sa labinlimang munisipiyo ng Nueva Vizcaya ang practitioners ng Good Agricultural Practices at producers ng pesticide residue safe na mga gulay.

Ayon sa ulat ng Regulatory Division at Food Safety Program ng DA RFO 02, ang mga ito ay ang Kayapa, Bambang, Dupax del Norte, Dupax del Sur, Kasibu, Solano, Bayombong, Villaverde, Quezon, Diadi, Sta. Fe, Aritao at Ambaguio. 

Ang mga nasabing bayan ay mabibigyan ng sertipikasyon bilang GAP practitioners sa pagbisita ni Kalihim Dar sa lalawigan bilang pagkilala sa kanilang suporta sa Food Safety Act. # # # (DA-RFO II, RAFIS)

DA7, Siquijor Province enjoin locals for livestock production

In response of the negative impacts brought by the pandemic such as employment and livelihood losses, the Provincial Government of Siquijor and the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA7) enjoin the Siquijodnons to engage into livestock and poultry production.

Siquijor Governor Zaldy Villa made this call during the turnover of the 60 heads native chickens and 20 heads of native swines held at the Provincial Capitol in Siquijor, Siquijor.

In his message, Governor Villa enjoined his constituents to engage into farming, whether in crops, livestock and poultry, as these will serve as livelihood and employment opportunities for the affected sector due to the pandemic and to reduce the inflation rate of the province.

 “Magbackyard farming ta (Let’s engage into backyard farming) because this is more sustainable and can help reduce the prices of pork and chicken meat,” said Villa.

DA7’s Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer of Siquijor Gregolito Bunado, said that raising native animals is very ideal for the changing weather conditions of the province and it can withstand extreme temperatures.

“Mamuhi gyud ta. Padaghana ni ninyo aron modaghan ang supply sa pagkaon ug daghan ang makapalit sa barato nga presyo,” said Bunado.

(Let’s raise animals and produce more offsprings. With more production, prices will decrease and more will enjoy.)

On the other hand, Provincial Veterinarian Bernardita Tabada said that the local production of native swine can protect the province against ASF virus contamination.

Tabada said native swines have high resistance to diseases and are independent from commercial feeds. Natives can be fed with green leaves like malunggay, ipil-ipil, and tahop, which are abundant in Siquijor.

“Ang native nga baboy aduna sila’y ilang kina-iya. Wala sila magsalig  sa mga feeds (They don’t depend on feeds) which is usually maoy source sa mga virus. There were cases nga ang mga feeds nga gikan sa ASF infected areas maoy napakaon sa mga baboy sa areas nga wala pa unta ma-infected sa ASF, mao nga paspas nikalat ang virus,” explained Tabada.

 (Native pigs have their own characteristics. They don’t depend on feeds which is usually the source of virus. There were cases that feeds sourced from ASF infected areas, once brought and feed to swine can be the cause of the virus spread in areas used to be ASF-free).

“Mapasalamaton kaayo mi sa suporta sa Department of Agriculture ug sa lokal nga kagamhanan sa Siquijor. Among atimanon ning mga gipanghatag aron among mapadaghan ug makatabang pud pagpadaghan sa supply sa atong karne,” said Ivy Mie Apiag, President of Lower Cabangcalan Native Animal Raisers Association (LoCNARA).

(We are thankful to DA and the Local Government Units for the support. We will take good care of these assistance so that more members will benefit and we will be able to provide enough supply of pork meat.)

The LoCNARA is a recipient of 60 native chickens and 15 heads of native swine. # # # (DA-RFO VII, RAFIS)

DA-NLP grants 1,500 native chicken stocks, incubator to Buenavista farmers

Boosting local supplies in times of pandemic and activating the integration of farming and livestock among farmer associations, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Western Visayas National Livestock Program (NLP) turned over 1,500 heads of native chicken and one unit of incubator to five farmers associations in Buenavista, Guimaras, Aug. 18.

The primary concept of the program is to make every family in the village food self-sufficient to mitigate the effects of isolation, restrictions during quarantine, and natural disasters.

To ensure the project sustainability, first beneficiaries are expected to return a portion of their production to the community associations so that secondary beneficiaries could also benefit.

 “We encourage farmers to join organizations so that it would be easy for the government to facilitate interventions to promote independence, self-reliance, and sufficiency at their level,” said Municipal Agriculturist Niel Catalan.

The local agri office provides technical support particularly on documentation to answer the queries and requirements posted by different agencies for farmers’ benefits. The office assists farmers in getting local accreditation from the Sangguniang Bayan and complying with the agreements and other documentation.

This livelihood assistance initiative of DA-WV NLP supports one key strategy of the OneDA Reform Agenda- Collective Action/ Cooperative Development. DA recognizes the inclusive participation of farmers for collective action as significant players in the food industry.

Technologies for native chicken production are transferred to 36 farmer association members of the municipality with the hope that they become more efficient in their production; thus, they can achieve higher profits.

“Magandang buhay ini sa atun nga mga meyembro sang tagsa-tagsa ka mga asosayon. Ginapaalinton ko ang akon bulawanon nga pagpasalamat sa Mahal nga Diyos kag sa management sang DA Region VI, tungod mapalaron kita nga mga beneficiaries sang native chicken production. Daku man nga pagpanghangkat kag responsibilidad sa atun, pero kung mapisan lang kag tiygaan kag dedikado kita, mangin mapinuslanon ini sa atun pangabuhi. Tinguhaan nga mangin successful ini para makaagom man ang iban nga meyembro”, said Rosalie Andaluz, Chairman of Avila Farmers’ Association.

Catalan added that when farmers are part of an association, it’s easy for the government to address interventions; likewise, they [farmers] can formulate their own locally and socially acceptable measures to address their problems, particularly in agriculture-related concerns.

According to Gemma Lazarte, DA-WV Agricultural Technician, only the Municipality of Buenavista has an allocation of 1,500 heads of native chicken and one unit of incubator granted for associations. She emphasized that farmers must work closely with their local agri-technicians whenever they encounter mortality among stocks and follow correct protocols in availing mortality warranty. # # # (MCM Buala / DA-RFO VI, RAFIS)