Senator Cynthia Villar urged her colleagues in the Senate to support her proposed measure to make San Jose. Batangas the “Egg Capital of the Philippines.”
Villar said San Jose is the leading egg producer in the country. The chairperson on Food, Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, on Monday, presented to the Senate plenary for approval Committee Report No. 271 on Senate Bill No. 2044, taking into consideration H.B No. 7660), entitled, “An Act Declaring the Municipality of San Jose in the Province of Batangas, as the Egg Basket Capital of the Philippines.”
She noted that San Jose, a first-class municipality has the highest egg production of at least 70,000 MT of eggs a year.
In 2019, San Jose contributed 12 percent to the country’s egg basket and 50 percent to the total Batangas Province output or 40 percent of the whole of CALABARZON egg produce.
In seeking backing for the bill, Villar said she also wants to celebrate the hard work and perseverance of the egg farmers in San Jose, who constantly evolve and improve their technology.
“Our experience this pandemic further highlights the need for our country to achieve food security. Our farmers and livestock growers toiled these last few months to ensure that the people have sufficient food to eat,” she said.
To recognize the hardship and efforts of our egg raisers from San Jose, and for them to serve as inspiration to more farmers in the country, Villar called on her colleagues to support this measure.
“From starting as a backyard industry back in the 60s, San Jose Batangas took the lead and turned it into one of the most successful, if not the most successful industry, with the farmers evolving into agripreneurs, and who continuously help innovate the agricultural practices in this small town,” Villar said.
“Through the concerted efforts of the egg farmers of San Jose, Batangas, their egg industry continues to be their source of increased income, which also generates thousands of direct and indirect jobs for many,” she added.
As of 2020, there are over 342 registered independent poultry in the municipality, with a declared layers population of 12,543,066.
The senator also reported that the per capita egg consumption in the country is as of 2020 approximately 13.74 kilograms a year or 229 pcs.
Based on the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the DOST, egg is a cheap source of good quality protein and other nutrients such as fat, Vitamins A, D, E, B and iron.
“Our experience this pandemic further highlights the need for our country to achieve food security. Our farmers and livestock growers toiled these last few months to ensure that the people have sufficient food to eat. To recognize the hardship and efforts of our egg raisers from San Jose, and for them to serve as inspiration to more farmers in the country, I call on my colleagues to support this measure.