Former secretaries of the Department of Agriculture (DA) met and commited themselves to help in ensuring food security.
In a post, Gov. Arthur Yap engaged with former DA Secs. Senen Bacani, Leonardo Montemayor Luis Cito Lorenzo and the current DA Sec. William Dar on Mar 18, 2022.
They met for an evening of discussion about agriculture policy and imperatives in the coming years at the DA.
The meeting was also a testimonial dinner for former DA secretaries, the report adds.
Among the concerns raised during the meeting are related to water, soil,
degradation, fertilizers, a possible food supply crisis and food processin.
The former DA secretaries agreed to keep up the engagement and remain available to lend their voices for the cause of Philippine Agriculture in the coming years, the report mentioned.
Gov. Yap is a former DA secretary during the Arroyo administration.
As Bohol governor, Yap pushed for more rice yields, improving the agriculture value chain and ensuring water supply.
During his term, Yap initiated the Advanced Rice Technology program which aims to improve the production yield of rice lands in Bohol.
Moreover, Yap inittated a rice buy-back program where local cooperatives are tasked to procure the rice produced by local farmers and provide a ready market.