Bangued, Abra – The Province of Abra, notorious for its violent politics and known as a hotbed of the communist insurgency, is now ready to position itself as a major agricultural production area in Luzon having a wide land area of over 416,000 hectares which are largely under-utilised.
Yesterday, during the turn-over of four units of Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems in Lapaz town, Abra Governor Joy Varela-Bernos and Congressman JB Bernos accepted the offer of the Department of Agriculture to craft a 10-Year Agriculture Master Plan for the province.
The Agriculture Master Plan is aimed at identifying the potentials of the province and the interventions needed to achieve greater productivity while at the same time reduce poverty in the countryside.
The crafting of the Agriculture Master Plan for each and every province of the country is now the next step of the DA in developing agriculture in the country after it has completed the Road Maps for important agricultural commodities such as Rice, Corn and Feed Grains, Mango, Onion, Fisheries, Dairy and others.
As agreed yesterday, the workshop for the crafting of the Abra Agriculture Master Plan will be conducted after the assumption to office of the new officials of the towns in the province.
Those who will be involved in the planning workshop include:
1. The provincial officials, especially the board members who will legislate ordinances to support the plan, development planners, engineers;
2. The municipal officials, including councilors, municipal agriculturists, planners and engineers;
3. Farmers organisations and Non-Government Groups involved in Agriculture.
The DA will provide the planning and technical staff who will manage the two-day workshop, including soil experts and information technology personnel.
The Abra Agriculture Master Plan is aimed at guiding the province in managing its efforts and resources to attain greater productivity and reduce poverty in the province.
Among the priorities of Abra identified by Gov. Bernos yesterday were its upland and rainfed rice farms and the need for more Solar Irrigation Projects, the fruit industry bannered by the sweet Abra mango, the bamboo industry and dairy farming.
The crafting of the Agriculture Master Plan of Abra will also help the DA program its interventions for the province in the remaining three years of the Duterte Presidency and beyond.
All other provinces in the country interested in crafting their own Agriculture and Fisheries Master Plan will also be assisted by the DA.
(Photos of the DA Biyaheng Bukid farmers consultations in Tayum and Lapaz towns, Abra were taken yesterday by Ardy Tompong and Lito Degorio, DA AFID)
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