It’s DAF Big Day! FARMERS, FISHERMEN HONORED IN MALACANANG EVENT TODAY By Manny Pinol

The country’s farmers and fishermen, who belong to the poorest sectors of Philippine society, will take the limelight today when President Rody Duterte awards an estimated P70-M to the cleanest coastal communities and launches the National Color-Coded Agriculture Guide Map (NACCAG) which will teach farmers what to plant in their farms during ceremonies to be held at the Rizal Hall of Malacanang.

The announcement of the winners of the 2017 Malinis at Masagang Karagatan (MMK) Presidential Awards winners and the launching of the Color-Coded Agriculture Guide will just be two of the many events centered on Fisheries and Farming today.

Among the other activities are:

– Launching of the FARMHELP SmartPhone application which will provide farmers and fishermen access to the different bureaus and agencies under the Department of Agriculture and

Fisheries by simply texting to a 24-hour Assistance Center.

– Signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Philippine Association of Rubber Farmers, and Phoenix Fuels President Dennis Uy for the start of a study on the establishment of a multi-billion peso Truck and Care Tires Factory using the raw rubber produced by Filipino Farmers.

– Launching and Signing of Memorandum of Agreement on the Road Map for Coffee and Cacao in the Philippines with the industry stakeholders, the DAF and the Dept. of Trade and Industry; and

– Turn-over of assistance to Pineapple Farmers who will process pineapple leaves into fiber for the manufacture of Pinatex Leather, a material used in automotive dashboards and seat covers, shoes and bags.

Out of the 18 regions in the country, there will be five finalists vying for the top prize of P20-M for the MMK Presidential Awards for 2017.

The second and third placers will receive P8-M and P5-M, respectively while the regional winners will receive P2-M in a contest which requires the towns to meet the following criteria:

– No Illegal Fishing

– Self-imposed Closed Fishing Season

– Designated Marine Sanctuary

– Protected and Rehabilitated Mangrove Area

– No garbage or debris floating in the fishing grounds.

The NACCAG or Color-Coded Agriculture Guide Map is a campaign commitment of President Duterte which will enable farmers and fishermen to obtain interactive data on things related to farming and fishing.

For example, by typing the name of his Region, Province and Town, a farmer will be able to determine what crops could be grown ideally in his area, down to the barangay level.

Also, a fishermen would know when a storm or dangerous climatic conditions would occur.

President Duterte said the NACCAG will finally end the guessing game for the Filipino farmers.

#Changeishere! #PresRodyCares! #DuterteDelivers!