PASAY CITY, Philippines – Local executives from Northern and Central Luzon joined in the first food security summit on Wednesday (October 3).
Department of Agriculture (DA) first convened the Luzon A cluster or the 400 municipalities and towns of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley Region, and Central Luzon.
The food security summit aims at identifying the needs of each municipality in order to become self-sufficient.
“This is actually the new battle cry that we should carry. Maximum utilization of all available agricultural areas in this country,” said Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol.
The Municipality of Kapangan in Benguet, for example, still falls short by 50% of their total food requirement despite having vegetable plantations.
According to Mayor Manny Fermin, one of their concerns is irrigation. The municipality only harvests palay once in a year.
“Nagawa na ang mga bukid doon ay mayroon pero ang problema pasilidad,” he said.
The DA will convene next the local executives of the Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao Clusters.
Piñol hopes that the government will be able to craft a national food security plan through the summit that will run for five years.
The Agriculture Secretary, however, clarified that there is no food shortage in the country. The only problem, he said, is how to deliver the produce to municipalities in need. – Rey Pelayo / Marje Pelayo
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