Benguet farmers welcome Marcos Jr. as DA chief
The officers and members of the Benguet Farmers’ Federation, Inc. welcome the move of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to head the Department of Agriculture.
With this, the farmers will have a better opportunity to directly request the President to have an audience with him for us to voice out the issues and concerns affecting the agriculture sector in this highland region, especially in Benguet.
Some of the volunteer farmer leaders and farmers’ groups have submitted project proposals to the DA that have already been validated but could not be implemented until now due to lack of funds.
During the term of former President Gloria Arroyo, several project proposals submitted by the farmers’ groups were approved through the leadership of former DA Sec. Arthur Yap.
The first phases of the projects were implemented but remain unfinished even during the succeeding administrations.
Again, there are pending project proposals of farmers before the DA that have yet to be approved or granted due to lack of funds.
It is our wish that Marcos Jr. will also take action on the unabated smuggling of vegetables and other crops affecting the country’s agriculture sector. — LORETO B. BUYA-AN, Benguet Farmers Federation Inc.