DA celebrates farmers, fisherfolks month

MANILA, Philippines - The nationwide celebration of May as “Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month” shifts to high gear tomorrow, May 14, 2012, as President Benigno S. Aquino III will keynote a People’s Organizations (POs) Congress in Davao City, where about 1,000 farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples and local government officials are expected to attend.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, who will join President Aquino in Davao, said the participants are beneficiaries of the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) under its Community Fund for Agricultural Development (CFAD) component.

They have availed of MRDP funds to bankroll their respective livelihood projects like food production, aquaculture, food processing, and small-scale rural infrastructure.

MRDP is jointly funded by the World Bank, the Philippine government, and the DA, with counterpart funding from beneficiary LGUs. It is implemented in 1,929 barangays, 22 municipalities in 26 provinces in Mindanao.

Simultaneously at the DA central office in Quezon City, DA family officials and employees, led by undersecretaries Antonio Fleta and Joel Rudinas, will start weeklong festivities with the opening of an agri-aqua fair, exhibits, tiangge and cooking demonstrations.

The theme for this year’s Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month celebration is “Sapat na pagkain, Sama-sama nating kamtin!”

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the theme for this year’s celebration is apt and timely as the DA is frontloading its resources and focusing efforts to attain self-sufficiency in rice and major staples by end of 2013.

“Let us continue to pay tribute to the country’s farmers and fisherfolk, and at the same time provide them sustained assistance so we could attain national food sufficiency and security,” the DA chief said.

“Kaya naman, sa pagdiriwang ng buwan ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda, samahan at bigyan natin ng kaukulang tulong at ayuda upang makamit natin ang pambansang kasapatan sa bigas at iba pang pangunahing pagkain sa katapusan ng taong 2013,” Secretary Alcala added.

As part of the celebration, undersecretary Rudinas said a thanksgiving mass in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of peasants, will be held May 15, 9 a.m. at the DA central office compound.

On May 16, a National Dairy Congress will be held in Baguio City, spearheaded by the DA’s National Dairy Authority in partnership with the Dairy Confederation of the Philippines.

On May 17, the DA will host a twin event – a farmers’ and fisherfolk’s forum, and a DA-DAR-DENR-DILG National Convergence Initiative Summit – at the BSWM conventional hall, Visayas Ave., Quezon City.