LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—Preparations are under way for the provincial government’s hosting of the Umaani Expo on March 27 to April 1, which showcases Pangasinan’s abundance of food staples and supports the push for agro-industrial enterprises here.
A brainchild of Gov. Amado I. Espino III, the Umaani Expo is an agro-industrial trade expo and fair and is expected to bolster the provincial government’s aim to expand existing markets for farm crops and fish commodities, in line with the national government’s food security plan.
Espino, through provincial Executive Order No. 011-2017 he issued on Feb. 6 that created an executive committee and technical working group for the festival, stressed Umaani will also serve as a rallying point for the transfer of new technology, farming systems and farm mechanization in Pangasinan.
“The development of agriculture and fishery sectors of the province is one of the priorities in the Ten Point Development Thrusts of the Provincial Government, to achieve equitable distribution of benefits and opportunities, and also to maximize their contribution to the province’s wealth and progress,” the executive order reads.
The order also states the provincial administration recognizes the importance of agriculture “in making available and safe food necessary to sustain human life, and to provide livelihood to a major sector of the province’s population.”
Thanks to the “intense push” in agriculture during the nine-year term of former governor and now fifth district Rep. Amado T. Espino Jr., Pangasinan is now among the top producers of quality rice and corn in the country.
In a coordination meeting last Feb. 15 at the Provincial Agriculture Office in Tebag, Sta. Barbara, Officer-in-Charge Provincial Agriculturist Dalisay Moya convened stakeholders of the agriculture sector and representatives from various agencies and offices of the provincial government to present the proposed activities for the six-day festival.