By Manny Piñol
On the last day of the year today, I decided to make a round of some parts of my province, North Cotabato, to visit relatives and friends.
I also dropped by the wake of a poor former office helper who served me well when I was Mayor of Mlang.
She passed away last week and her last wish was for me to visit her wake before she is laid to rest.
On the way back to my farm, I dropped by the Sorghum Demo Farm along the national highway in Makilala town.
The Department of Agriculture is promoting the planting of Sorghum as a feed material to support the local poultry and livestock industry.
It is part of the DA’s program to establish farm-level feed mills to give rural and small backyard hog and poultry raisers access to low-cost feeds to make them competitive.
What I saw lifted my spirit.
I saw a field of green Sorghum growing robustly and when I waded into the rows, I saw panicles already coming out of the stems.
At 45 days, the panicles are showing a bit early which could only mean that the Plants are healthy and well-nourished.
I saw the sprouting panicles as a symbol of hope of a better harvest for 2019.
After a series of calamities brought about by at least 7 tropical storms and depressions, including Super Typhoon Ompong, in the last two Quarters of 2018, Agriculture is hopeful that 2019 would be a better year.
Even with Tropical Depression Usman ravaging the Bicol Region with rains before the end of the year, Agriculture could bounce back and recover as it had in worse conditions in the past.
We have to accept the fact that our country is the front door of Climatic disturbances and we have to adapt to this reality.
What matters is not the number of calamities which hit Agriculture every year but how fast government delivers interventions for fast recovery.
The DA has established sound fundamentals allowing it to respond immediately.
On Jan. 3, a few days after TD Usman has left the country, the DA intervention teams will be in Bicol.
I will personally be there to lead.
The challenges are tough but we will overcome.
We will also pray hard even as we work harder.
After all, farmers will always say that successful farming is 10% hard work and 90% fervent prayers.
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