IMPRESSED. Agriculture Sec. William Dar (left) engages in a a face-to-face meeting with Gov. Arthur Yap (right) during the former’s visit in Bohol on Friday, June 4, 2021. Dar told the governor that he is impressed on the direction of the agriculture programs of the provincial government. The agricultural programs of the province are aligned with the 18 key strategies of the Department of Agriculture (DA), according to the governor. Photo courtesy of Primer

Agriculture Sec. William Dar, on Friday, June 4, 2021, expressed his great appreciation and praises for the agriculture initiatives of the province as he capped his two-day visit to this island province, an information from the Provincial Information and Media Relations (PRIMER) says.

Dar, during his visit here, cited Bohol’s effort to focus on areas where it has a competitive advantage especially in the agriculture sector.

 “Here in Bohol, they are not trying to do everything. They are choosing where they can be competitive.” Dar said.

The agriculture secretary also said that the main goal of the country’s agriculture sector leaders is to make farming lucrative and profitable.

“In agriculture we have to strive to make sure our farmers are profitable or else we can never lift them out of poverty.” Dar continued. 

Gov. Arthur Yap met Dar at the Provincial Capitol on Friday morning. Yap has an extensive background in agriculture as he was a former agriculture secretary before he dabbled in politics as the representative of the third district of Bohol.

During his visit to the Capitol, Dar was briefed by way of a presentation about Bohol’s programs on crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries, which are all aligned with the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) 18 key strategies, that center on the agriculture sector’s efforts in consolidation, modernization, industrialization, and professionalization.

According to the PRIMER report, using the DA’s strategies, Yap was able to work on filling the gaps in the value chain to boost the profitability of agricultural products. As this developed, Yap sought the DA’s support to fill the said gaps in the value chain.

Based on Yap’s presentation to Dar, rice, corn and rootcrops were identified as key commodities, which will be the focus of Bohol’s food security program. For this reason, Bohol is investing in these commodities to improve production and ensure the province’s competitive advantage in the agriculture sector.

Furthermore, these identified commodities are going to be the backbone of a robust feeds industry in the province, the governor said. 

A robust feeds industry will help make the livestock, poultry and fisheries industries more profitable and competitive, which is one of the goals of the agricultural programs of the Yap-Relampagos administration, the PRIMER in its report said.

Impressed by the directions and programs of Bohol, Dar agreed on the spot, to designate Bohol as the second province to implement the Province-led Agri-Fishery Extension System Program (PAFES), which is initiated by the DA.

“Itong presentation ni Gov. Art ay ito yung gusto nating mangyari sa PAFES system na nakalinya na yung mga focus programs. With the budget available from the DA for this year ay pwede na talagang i-accept po natin ang challenge ng Province of Bohol to be the second province to pilot the PAFES. So, DA regional director, let’s make it possible. Naka-kamada na lahat so yung pera po at inputs po natin, i-kamada din natin openly and you will see much synergy with what is being planned. Very focused yung plano. Kung lahat ng probinsya sana ay merong priority setting process na ganito, mas mabilis ang pag-unlad ng ating sektor ng agrikultura sa bawat lalawigan,” Dar said during his visit.

During the same engagement at the Capitol, the DA chief emphasized the role of local government units (LGU) in extension and training, which are devolved functions of the DA.

 “Extension and training are devolved activities so the LGUs must take the lead in this [kind of] activity.” Dar said. 

Dar recognized the good fact that Bohol knows what needs to be done in order to address its weakness and to fill the gaps.

“It is clear that the Provincial Government of Bohol knows what it needs to strengthen regarding weaknesses in the production and sales cycle of commodities so they have already done the first key critical step: evaluating their needs and citing the gaps which they will need to work on.” Dar emphasized.

Impressed with Yap’s presentation, Dar wants to get a copy of it to be distributed to other stakeholders so that they can be aligned with the goals of Bohol province and these programs are harmonized with the DA’s key strategies, the PRIMER mentioned in its report.

“I am asking Gov. Yap to furnish us copies of Bohol’s presentation so we can ask other stakeholders to analyze and prepare their work programs along the same lines, harmonized with the DA’s 18 key strategies. This will make analysis and funding of programs more justifiable. “Dar continued.

For his part, Yap thanked Dar for taking the time to visit Bohol and share his valuable insights on the province’s agricultural directions moving forward.

According to Yap, Dar has advised him to add value in all strategic commodities as identified by the province. Adding value to agricultural products will help farmers earn more especially through food processing, the governor said.

Moreover, Dar has committed more processing equipment, farm mechanization implements, refrigeration and storage facilities in support to the different crops and fisheries programs, including funding of the market development program here in the province.

BOHOL TO GET CLOSE TO P 1 BILLION IN ASSISTANCE FROM

DA

In the same PRIMER report, the agriculture secretary told the governor that the DA will be providing close to P1 billion worth of assistance to Bohol

Furthermore, Dar was also appreciative that the provincial government has partly re-purposed the old Tagbilaran Airport, to become a farmers’ market, which provides an avenue for farmers to showcase and sell their produce.

With this development, the PRIMER reports that Dar committed to provide funds for the market at the old Tagbilaran airport in the next few months.

DAR ASKS YAP TO CONTINUE WITH DAIRY PROGRAM FOR KIDS

Another project which Dar has asked Yap to continue is the dairy nutrition program where the Provincial Government is providing milk to more than 45,000 Boholano schoolchildren in an effort to address the issue of stunting and malnutrition in children.

 “The first 1,000 days of a child’s life is so critical for brain development. No amount of support can help the development of a person if it done after the first 1,000 days of his or her life. Once the brain’s development is affected, a person’s rise to higher paying jobs as a knowledge or creative worker will be negatively affected.” Yap stressed. 

MORE AGRI-TOURISM EVENTS COMING HERE
Meanwhile, Bohol is now preparing for upcoming agri-tourism events and activities with the direction of inviting more agriculture technical groups from national agencies to highlight and showcase technologies, as well as to streamline and adjust programs along the lines of Dar’s recommendations.