Monday, February 06, 2006

Rice/Corn Hybridation Program

As always emphasized, agriculture will remain to be the main lifeline of our economy, this sector being the number one employer and generator of income for our people. Thus, we have to innovate in our production programs in crops, fisheries and livestocks.
We must be proud to be known in Western Visayas as the hybrid rice seed capital. Our 39 farmers who are hybrid rice seed growers produced a total of 1746 bags of FI variety seeds, part of which were used for the use of our own farmers and the greater bulk were delivered to the provinces of Negros Occidental, Capiz, Antique, and Iloilo in support to the Hybrid Rice
Commercialization program of the Department of Agriculture.
As of the end of last year, the total rice production of the province was up to 124,735 metric tons, higher than the 2004 output of 100,300 metric tons, or an increase of 24.36 percent.
I have instructed our office of the provincial agriculturist to also prioritize the planting of hybrid corn. We would like to be competitive in the manufacture of our own commercial feeds which is the major cost factor in the development of our livestock industry. We are aiming to put up a feed mill in the province to serve the feed requirements of poultry, piggery, cattle fattening and even the aquaculture industry. These are vital sources of protein for our constituents and could be one of the major agri-industrial activities for the province.
We continue to provide material and financial assistance to organized fish farmers in the province to improve fish catch by planting mangroves and the loading of concrete artificial reefs in New Washington and Numancia. We also continue to disperse tilapia and catfish fingerlings to upland freshwater fishfarmers. Farmers in the towns of Nabas, Ibajay, Malay, and Buruanga were provided with grafted mango planting materials for free but worth some P250,000 good to plant for 25 hectares. We project to plant mangoes in 400 hectares of upland area this year. The Aklan State University supplies at cost the planting materials. It is our dream to share in the export market of mangoes someday.
Having recognized the limitless market for abaca fiber and pulp, we appropriated P1 million for an initial abaca plantation in Libacao. The target is to plant abaca in 200 hectares and put up a pulp mill to add three times more value to the abaca which we traditionally produce. Abaca fiber is the strongest fiber known to man which finds its use not only for abaca rope, slippers, bags, wall décor but it is also an excellent material used in paper currency worldwide.
A breakthrough was found in our artificial insemination program in the project’s pilot towns in Batan, Banga, Malinao, Makato and Libacao where there are available cattle and carabao population. A total of 517 animals were artificially inseminated, 296 cattles and 221 carabaos.
Our veterinary program also puts emphasis on animal product quality assurance, animal health and veterinary quarantine and regulatory services, reason why we remain free from foot and mouth disease affecting livestocks. With the passage of an ordinance creating the provincial council on the prevention of the spread of Avian Influenza. We have heightened vigilance against such threat on animals to include humans. Considering the high cost of vaccines against rabies, our veterinary office is focusing on information and prevention campaigns, an anti-rabies ordinance having been in place in this province. We contributed some P200,000, in cooperation with the Aklan State University to purchase a fluorescent microscope, a vital instrument in the establishment of a diagnostic laboratory at ASU veterinary college campus. /MP (to be continued next issue)

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