Farmers call for more govt support to mechanize agriculture

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InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

MANILA - Some 600 farmers from Luzon and the Visayas Saturday called for more government support to mechanize agriculture in the country.

The farmers attended the first year anniversary of the Agri-Tekno-Demo Forum at the ground floor of the four-story Public Information Agency building in Quezon City.

With the theme “Ang Magsasaka ang Laging Bida sa Maunlad na Agrikultura,” the celebration highlighted the success of the Maunlad na Agrikultura initiative.

This is a radio program that has been running for over 10 years now advocating the full mechanization of the country's agriculture sector.

Francis Cansino, the project proponent, said with the continued decrease in rice fields left for farming, the farmers have to maximize the use of the remaining farm lands.

“And to increase their yield, we are calling for more government support to provide modern farm implements, improved rice seedlings and to build more farm to market roads,” Cansino said.

Agriculture Undersecretary Salvador Salacop, for his part, said the government is doing all its efforts to meet the farmers demand.

He praised the group for their efforts to uplift the country’s farming industry, but stopped short of saying how the agriculture industry would be mechanized.

The country’s rice fields continue to decrease as more and more farms were either turned into subdivisions or commercial complexes.

The Department of Agriculture last month reported damage in farm produce and infrastructure caused by floods and heavy rains reached P 1.18 billion.

Officials said the value of agriculture products destroyed by floods and rains reached P723 million.

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