FSTP to help Cebu produce more corn

CEBU, Philippines - Amid agricultural concerns faced by the national government, the provincial government of Cebu and other government agencies involved are pushing for efforts to expand productivity of corn in the local level.

The provincial government and other agencies involved are intensifying efforts to produce more corn in the province especially with the noted decrease of production in the past months.

Ernesto Villacorta of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics noted during the recently held Cebu Corn Stakeholders’ Summit 2013 at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol, that there has been a decrease in the corn production rate for the first half of the year which was below the corn crop estimate for Central Visayas. 

Villacorta emphasized that the decrease of corn production was due to a massive conversion of agricultural lands to industrial sites.

With this, the provincial government through Governor Hilario Davide III and Provincial Board members and the Department of Agriculture through Assistance Secretary Dante Delima signed a manifesto, committing their support to push for programs in Cebu that would expand corn production.

During the Cebu Corn Stakeholders’ Summit, the Farmers’ Scientist Training Program (FSTP) was highlighted as the project that would be of big help to increase corn production in the province and the rest of region 7.  

The FSTP was materialized years back by Dr. Romulo Davide, the uncle of Governor Davide, and has been adopted nationwide through Executive Order 710 issued by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2008.

Dr. Davide gave an overview of the FSTP during the summit and the projects under it that has been implemented in the towns of Argao, Barili, Ginatilan, Medellin, and Tudela.

Roldan Saragena, OIC of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, presented the proposed FSTP activities for the upcoming years, specifically on intensifying food security and improving the quality of the lives of farmers in the province.

The event was organized by the Province of Cebu, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Sustainable Development Program, Cebu Technological University, Sugbuanon Foundation, Dream, and Pagtambayayong- a Foundation for Mutual Aid, Inc.

Sugbuanon Foundation President, Daniel Arcenas discusses on ways to adopt and implement a holistic operational plan along with the existing programs of the Province that would augment productivity, push agricultural modernization and mitigate ill-effects of climate change as well and preparing for the agriculture “free-trade” in the coming years.  (FREEMAN)