The country can expect more research and development projects for agriculture and other technologies that would benefit Filipino farmers and fishermen once Partido Reporma presidential candidate Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and his running mate, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, get the people’s mandate during the May 9 national elections.
Lacson and Sotto stressed their support for the growth of the farming sector following campaign sorties in Nueva Ecija and Laguna, both food-producing provinces, whose farmers and fishermen have suffered under the effects of rampant agricultural smuggling and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The longtime public servants also visited the University of the Philippines Los Banos campus in Laguna on Tuesday, lauding the state learning institution for leading the way in R&D projects in agriculture and biotechnology.
Lacson noted in his dialogue with small agricultural businessmen in Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija that he and Sotto prefer to discuss issues directly with them so they get a pulse of the real situation on the ground, which are not apparent from a national level, and would help them prepare legislation or government policy.
“This (dialog) setting here is great because it’s different from traditional campaigning. The sectoral concerns of farmers, hog raisers, vegetable growers, vendors, it’s great to hear. It’s better for us because at least we are educated on what their concerns and issues are, especially for local businesses,” Lacson said.
With better research and development programs as endorsed by the government, Filipino food growers would be able to equal or surpass the production of outstanding farmers such as Danilo Bolos of Nueva Ecija, who has produced 300 cavans or 16.5 tons of rice on just one hectare of farmland, Lacson said.
Bolos was among the farmers present in the dialog organized by former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Pinol, a guest candidate for senator under the Lacson-Sotto ticket.
“Isn’t it that our farmers often target just 100 cavans per harvest and consider that an outstanding feat, but here, Bolos surpassed it by producing 300 cavans or 16.5 tons. So that’s the standard established that our other farmers should be able to reach. If it’s like that, then we can be rice sufficient,” Lacson said.
An engineer who worked for over two decades in Saudi Arabia, Bolos has farmed for over 30 years, and registered 339.81 cavans of palay per hectare in the 2020 cropping season.