ABULUG, Cagayan—The National Convergence Initiative recently launched the proposed Agricultural Abundance and Productivity through Innovative Technologies or Agapit in the second district of Cagayan.
A brainchild of Second District Rep. Baby Aline Vargas-Alfonso, she said the plan “will complement the existing resources of the involved municipalities in coming out of unified and stronger efforts towards productivity.”
“Agapit,” an Ilico term that means “to harvest,” will be composed of five municipalities; Abulug, Pamplona, Sanchez Mira, Claveria, and Sta. Praxedes, said Director Silvino Q. Tejada, national focal person of NCI.
“It is important that locals identify interventions and activities that will promote sustainable management of all resources within the convergence area,” Tejada stressed.
The NCI convened the municipalities to come up with a Convergence Area Development Plan at FL Vargas College Sur in Abulug.
Meanwhile, Regional Technical Director Robert B. Olinares said the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 2 will support the initiative.
‘We are one with you because we do believe that the event is an advocacy towards long term and sustainable agriculture sector as we share and exchange knowledge, ideas and sentiments in general,” Olinares told the farmers.
Olinares emphasized that all are attuned with the department’s thrust of addressing the fragmented delivery of services to the countryside.
“We are forging a strong partnership with other institutions to build an efficient servicing to our stakeholders. We hope that said plan will materialize soon,” Olinares stressed.
In support, Vice Gov. Melvin Vargas Jr., representing Rep. Alfonso, and second district Board Members Vilmer Viloria, Jeff Vargas and Archie Layus, Mayor Jesus Emmanuel Vargas of Abulug, representatives of the five municipalities, and officials of Cagayan State University Sanchez Mira Campus attended the workshop.
Technical staff from the regional and national offices of the Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Environment, Local Government and the NCI served as facilitators.
The office of Rep. Alfonso hosted the four-day activity, which includes an educational trip to a successful coffee production project, an NCI endeavor in Paddig, Ilocos Norte.