3,000 to attend confab

ABOUT 3,000 farmers representing all regions in Mindanao will attend the Mindanao Farmers’ Conference tomorrow at Almendras Gym to discuss agricultural issues and present their ideas for agrarian development.

These farmers are members of the Ugnayan ng mga Nagsasariling Lokal na Organisasyon sa Kanayunan (UNORKA) Mindanao belonging to the five industry clusters such as banana, coconut, cacao, tropical fruits and cereals as they will represent the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in business development.

The conference is set to discuss the Mindanao agri-agrarian framework and direction focusing on achieving peaceful transformation and development among stakeholders. Farmers will lobby for policy support from both executive and legislative sectors of the government.

“All of us farmers will gather to plan the 10-year long improvement of agriculture in Mindanao for every commodity to contribute to our own community in Mindanao and the rest of the Philippines,” said Leoderic P. Luzeñada, UNORKA-Mindanao secretary general, during the Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape - Abreeza Mall.

Since May, farmers have also been conducting several commodity workshops and the results will be presented to the key officials and lawmakers for necessary actions and interventions during the event.

Romeo Ticon also of UNORKA Mindanao said there are many issues currently faced by most of the farmers that put them in the disadvantaged position.

After acquiring rights to own a land through the implementation of the agrarian reform program of the government, new challenges have emerged including “production manGLOBE

agement, enterprise development, market networking and transacting with big companies and investors with legal contracting terms,” Ticon said.