By Nimfa Estrellado February 14, 2023 Talaga, Talabong, Eduarte LUCENA CITY, Quezon - Despite the fact that developers are converting land f...
February 14, 2023
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| Talaga, Talabong, Eduarte |
LUCENA CITY, Quezon - Despite the fact that developers are converting land for more lucrative uses, a survey found that the Philippines remained one of the world's top producers of rice. Researchers frequently publish articles to support the rice industry and provide farmers in the country with access to new technology and growing techniques to help them become more resilient.
During a recent Sanguniang Panlalawigan (SP) deliberation on land use conversion, First District Board Member Jerry Talaga, who was lobbying as Chairman of the Committee on Land Use, and Second District Board Member Ferdinand Bong Talabong had a verbal exchange about reclassifying agricultural land in Macalelon to convert into an Agro-Industrial Plant.
Talaga explained that because Macalelon is a town, it is permitted to convert its land uses.
"The government authorizes land use conversion in cities and municipalities. Some are selling their properties and investing in other areas where land is less expensive," he explained.
Talabong, on the other hand, interpellated Talaga about the declining agricultural lands in provinces as a result of Agro-Industrial conversion.
"Many farms in cities and other towns are running out of land, urbanization and rampant land conversion are ruining farmers' livelihoods," he said.
Furthermore, Ex - Officio Board Member Angelo Eduarte firmly opposed the land conversion, stating that a land use plan is required before converting it to Agro-Industrial land.
SP deferred the recommendation and referred it to the Committee En Banc first, so that members of the Legislative Body in the Provincial Council of Quezon, led by Vice Governor Anacleto Third Alcala, could further discuss it.
Talabong has always been staunchly opposed to real estate developers encroaching on farmers and their farmlands.
Talabong stated that of the 40 municipalities and two cities in Quezon province, only San Antonio town is above water in terms of food production and security. The rest are under threat from land reclassification and the inevitable conversion to residential, industrial, and commercial uses.
Farmers learn new methods
As a part of the "PalaySikatan-Lakbay Palay" joint initiative of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute or PhilRice-Los Baños, over 30 rice farmers from this city's Barangay Mayao Parada recently attended a seminar to advance their agronomic methods.
Farmers learned which rice varieties adapt to their soils and how to use modern farm equipment and diagnostic tools like the Minus-One Element Technique (MOET), which determines the soil's nutrient status, during the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) training.
Jairalou Merano, an agriculturist with the Lucena City OIC, expressed to the farmers her hope that this program will further inspire future farmers, particularly the younger generation, to pursue farming in order to ensure food security in the city.
"We all should be open to advancement in farming techniques and equipment like transplanter and mechanized harvester to boost our production. The ideal rice varieties will also help us maximize the planting and harvesting season, ensuring food security, even only in rice," Merano added.
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