Record crowd attends harvest fest in Tanauan
Arecord crowd of more than 500 farmers and other visitors attended the first day of the three-day harvest festival which ends today, Saturday, at the Farm 2 of Agri-Tech Integrated Services (ATISCO) in Brgy. Talaga, Tanauan City, Batangas.
The attendees observed the highvalue crops planted by three leading seed companies that include EastWest Seed, Allied Botanical Corporation and Bayer Vegetable Seeds. Aside from vegetables and other high-value crops, there was also a showcase of Korean agricultural machines that include the Branson tractor and its equipment, and the compact Lee Hwa rice mill.
The farmers and other attendees also listened to the agricultural programs of the local government unit headed by Mayor Antonio Halili and other city and agriculture officials. Also speaking before the attendees were Arnel de Mesa and Jennifer Remoquillo of the Department of Agriculture.
De Mesa is the OIC regional executive director of the DA field office in Calabarzon and national deputy project director of the Philippine Rural Development project. Remoquillo, on the other hand, is the national coordinator of the National High-Value Crops Development Program.
De Mesa expounded on the priority projects under the PRDP and challenged the local administrators to come up with projects that can be funded by the program. Among the priority crops that can be funded are cacao, coffee and other high-value crops.
The PRDP is funded by a R27billion loan from the World Bank to support infrastructure development like farm-to=market roads, bridges, irrigation systems, and potable water.
Another target is the promotion of agricultural enterprises that don’t only include production but also valueadding through processing, and mar-