Board Member Ariston Arzaga encouraged Palaweños to plant more agricultural crops to add to the food supply stability of the province.
In an interview with the media, the board member who chairs the Committee on Agriculture of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan said that with the increasing oil prices in the country, land preparation for rice farming is also affected, including prices of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, which have also increased.
“Ang mahal ng mga inputs, halos triple ang fertilizer then very uncertain pati ang petroleum sumusunod, kaya hindi natin hahayaan na ganon na lang. We have to encourage everybody to plant kasi masyado tayong dependent sa rice, may programa tayo sa rice pero sana ‘wag natin hayaan ang iba dahil marami tayong staple crops na pwedeng itanim,” Arzaga said.
He added that agricultural products such as bananas and corn are some of the crops that are easy to plant.
“Karamihan nand’yan lang sa tabi-tabi, mayroon tayong mais, kamote, saging — ang mga produkto na ito na madaling mag-grow ay sana ma-encourage ang ating mga kababayan na nandiyan lang ‘yan. Puwede pa hingiin sa mga kapitbahay ang pananim, ilang buwan at taon lang [may bunga na],” he added.
Arzaga said that, in addition to planting crops, one of his goals as a member of the provincial board is to introduce agriculture through farm machinery and equipment to help farmers in Palawan increase their harvest and make it easier for them to prepare the land.
“Pinakamalaki na tinitingnan natin ay ang sektor ng palay. Iniisip ko lang, bakit hindi natin gawin sa sektor ng agriculture through farm machineries and equipment pool na mapapakinanabangan ng ating mga farmers. Napakamahal ng land preparation ngayon dahil ang mahal ng fuel kaya aangat din ang presyo ng pagpapaararo,” Arzaga said.
“Aaralin lang muna natin, ang laki ng ating rice farms sa Palawan kaya all these things ay iniisip natin kung paano natin ilalagay ang ating farm machineries and equipment pool at saan tayo kukuha ng pondo,” he added.
