DA-NABCOR corn processing and trading center in Agusan del Sur soon to rise
October 13, 2008A multi-million Corn Post Harvest Processing and Trading Center will soon rise in the Province of Agusan del Sur.
This after the blessing and groundbreaking was successfully done recently. The project will be built within the Pagkain ng Bayan Compound, Barangay Mabuhay, Bayugan City.
The said project is a joint venture between the local government unit of Agusan del Sur through Governor Maria Valentina G. Plaza and Department of Agriculture through National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR).
The blessing and groundbreaking was attended by almost all officials of the province and from the city of Bayugan as well as NABCOR representative and personnel from the DA Regional Field Unit 13 led by Regional Technical Director Elisio T. Tila.
Also gracing the occasion were Agusan del Sur former Governor Valentina G. Plaza and son Edward Adolf Plaza, now PAGCOR Vice President.
Bayugan City – A multi-million Corn Post Harvest Processing and Trading Center will soon rise in the Province of Agusan del Sur.
This after the blessing and groundbreaking was successfully done on the said project last September 30, 2008 which will be built within the Pagkain ng Bayan Compound, Barangay Mabuhay, Bayugan City.
The said project is a joint venture between the local government unit of Agusan del Sur through Governor Maria Valentina G. Plaza and Department of Agriculture through National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR).
The blessing and groundbreaking was attended by almost all officials of the province and from the city of Bayugan as well as NABCOR representative and personnel from the DA Regional Field Unit 13 led by Regional Technical Director Elisio T. Tila.
Also gracing the occasion were Agusan del Sur former Governor Valentina G. Plaza and son Edward Adolf Plaza., now PAGCOR Vice President.
The program was highlighted with the unveiling of the project and laying of the time capsule.
On her speech, Governor Plaza expressed her thanks to all stakeholders who one way or the other help in realizing her dreams to alleviate the plight of the farmers.
“This project is very close to my heart. Having this corn processing center is a dream of my father Democrito Plaza”, she emotionally said.
She also expressed her thanks to the president Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap for giving the province of Agusan del Sur an utmost priority in agricultural projects.
RTD Tila on his part happily revealed that the said corn post harvest processing and trading center is the first in Caraga Region and hope that it would greatly contribute to the economic atmosphere of the province and eventually benefited the farmers.
Corn Post Harvest Processing and Trading Center would include warehouse, truck scale, cob dryer, sheller and grain dryer, feedmills and corngrits mills.
The center buys wet ear corn from the farmers and pays him at half the prevailing price of dry grain and in effect removing the burden of drying and shelling from the farmers and still gains profit.
The said corn post harvest processing and trading center in Agusan del Sur is one of the seven of such centers in the country. (DA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
Agusan circumferencial road sugdan na sa pagkongkreto
Andam na ang mga ekipo nga maoy gamiton sa pagkongreto sa circumferential road nga nagagikan sa Barangay Bit-os, paingon sa Tungao, Las Nieves lahos na sa lungsod sa Esperanza, ug dakbayan sa Bayugan, Agusan del Sur. Ang gikaingon nga ekipo, gipanag-iyahan sa Cavite Development nga maoy midaug sa gipahigayong bidding.
Gibanabana nga mukabat sa usa ka bilyon ug 937 milyones ka pesos ang kantidad sa naasoy nga proyekto. Sumala sa contractor, nga maoy gitugyanan sa pagkongreto sa maong dalan nga kini mahuman sulod sa 18 ka bulan kung walay kalangan nga mahitabo.
Matud ni Butuan City Mayor Democrito D. Plaza II, tumong ug katuyuan sa paghimo niining maong dalan aron masayon sa mga mag-uuma pagdala sa mga produkto sa kaumahan sa dakbayan sa Butuan ug sa Bayugan, Agusan del Sur. Kahinumduman nga kini nga proyekto dugay na nga giplano sa Mayor ug karon nahatagan na ug katumanan pinaagi sa pundong salapi gikan sa nasudnong panggamhanan. (PIO-Butuan City/PIA-Caraga)
ATI Caraga opens e-learning to farmers
October 11, 2008“Farmers or those who are interested in augmenting their income through farming can now avail of the free education and training by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Caraga by simply accessing www.e-extension.gov.ph.”
Director Asterio Saliot of the ATI-Central Office revealed this during the ATI-Caraga Octoberfest celebration at its regional center in Barangay Los Angeles, this city.
The web is part of the ATI’s effort to strengthen its capability in information communication technology (ICT) since it is the lead agency in the e-extension program for agriculture and fisheries.
Among the information offered by the ATI website are online courses on managing common diseases in banana, durian production and corn production.
Through the online course, farmer students can take their classes at their own pace and time. For a farmer student to be able to proceed through each module as well as ascertain that he has actually learned something, he or she needs to pass examinations for each module.
Also available in the web are farm and business advisory services. This covers the technical assistance or advices given to clientele along the operation of their farms or business related to agriculture, such as consultations, journals or handouts and database on farm business.
Other than the web, farmers could also used their cellphones to avail of this service. They can directly text their questions to extension workers or other experts in their respective areas. Experts in their areas will then answer their questions through text making information more readily available.
The ATI website also offers electronic trading, through this farmers can post their produce in the web. So a prospect or client will just browse through the web and order through the internet.
This means faster and more convenient business transactions as well as wider business coverage since the farmer’s produce would be available to almost everyone who has access to the internet.
ATI Caraga also offers trainings on rice and corn production, corn and rice based farming systems, integrated pest management on rice, post harvest technology and seed production.
Training on bio-intensive gardening, cut-flower production and arrangement, banana production, coconut-based farming system, livestock including goat production, pig-raising, swine and poultry production as well as institutional capability development are also available.
ATI Caraga also boasts of demonstration sites showcasing new farming techniques and latest technologies in agriculture through Farms Family Approach on Resource Management for Sustainability (FFARMS).
ATI Caraga has a demo site on Sustainable System of Production Management for Rice (SSPM), bio-compost production, organic banana and vegetable orchard production. (PIA-Caraga)
Cong. Aquino awards P240T tech-voc scholarship grant, other goodies for women sector
Hon. Jose “Joboy” S. Aquino II, Representative of the 1st Congressional District of Butuan and Las Nieves, swooped down at the Las Nieves Training Center (LNTC) of Brgy. Mat-i here and attended an elaborate ceremony just recently to award an early Christmas gift amounting to a total of PhP240,000 to 24 scholars under his I-CARE Program.
The scholars, who are currently taking up the TESDA-registered National Certification (NC) Level II Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) at the LNTC were brimming with excitement, noting full well that no less than the good and debonair Congressman “Joboy” Aquino had reached down to their level to facilitate their desire of going back to school in order to finish a course at their very own hometown.
Congressman Aquino revealed in his speech that he is further committing an additional 40 slots of scholarship grants to the constituents here for them to take up the exportable SMAW NC II skills training. Putting more substance to what he had started, he is likewise committing to provide two additional units of portable grinders for the SMAW NC II skills training.
He hoped that, after the training, his constituents will be given the opportunity to work abroad and earn better salaries to improve their economic status.
For the early part of year 2009, he exuberantly revealed that he will be allocating funds to the tune of PhP200,000.00 from his PDAF for the construction of Small Business Center of Women to be established at the heart of Las Nieves itself. On top of that, he aims to provide an additional PhP200,000.00 for the livelihood program of the women sector. In conjunction with this commitment, he instructed TESDA Agusan del Norte to assist in the preparation of the technical working papers for submission to his Congressional Office.
Congressman Aquino said his move is in line with his belief that “sustainable livelihood is the prerequisite for a dignified tomorrow.” He argued that “women ought not to be victims or passive recipients of aid.” Waxing positive, he noted that “when given the proper resources, women are capable of changing their lives and those of their children, families and communities.” For this reason, “women need assistance in acquiring skills to become economically productive, and that they should be provided with economic literacy, including access to loans and formal sector employment.
At the bottom line, he appreciated TESDA for the good partnership and collaboration it has done in order for him to serve and develop his constituents better.
OIC-Regional Director Florencio F. Sunico, Jr. of TESDA Caraga, during his turn to speak, informed the audience that Cong. Aquino had actually allocated funds for several skills development scholarship programs for the 1st District of Butuan City and Las Nieves.
Just a run down, under the PGMA-Training for Work Scholarship Program, Cong. Aquino invested PhP4.5 Million good for three years or spread at PhP1.5 Million per year, which commenced on 2008 until 2010. His scholarship investment was counterparted with the same amount by TESDA for a total of PhP9.0 Million good for three years.
OIC-Provincial Director Leo V. Velez acknowledged that the Hon. Aquino was the first-ever Congressman in Caraga Region to have committed himself in supporting the I-CARE Program by signing the Memorandum of Agreement with TESDA.
For the Ladderized Education Program, he has likewise invested another PhP266,000.00 for the year 2008 for his Congressional District.
Finally, he has also allocated PhP1,014,780.00 under the Private Education Students Financial Assistance for this year. (TESDA-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Caraga)
JADE-Point Agenda: Dinagat gov’s development roadmap
October 10, 2008Dinagat Islands Provincial Governor Jade B. Ecleo, is determined to propel the province of Dinagat Islands as progressive island-province geared towards the spirit of bayanihan (communal unity) geared towards agri-fishery, responsible mining and tourism, sustaining a balanced human ecology.
Governor Jade, in her recent State of the Province Address (SOPA) bared her vision for the province via a development roadmap dubbed as “JADE” which stands for Job Generation, Agriculture, Fisheries & Agrarian Reform, Development & Delivery of Basic Services, Education, Environmental Protection and Economic Upliftment..
JADE as an administration blueprint of infrastructure development, Gov. Jade was able to secure an amount of Ten Million Pesos from the Department of Agriculture for farm-to-market roads. “Another Ten Million Pesos was solicited from the President’s Social Fund for the initial construction of our Capitol building. The National Irrigation Administration through our efforts, has also committed 1.63 Million for the construction of a communal irrigation system in the province.”
Gov. Ecleo also said that during the recent visit of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Dinagat Islands, she was able to convince the President to prioritize the concreting of San Jose-Basilisa Road this year amounting to 200 Million pesos as part of her SONA commitment of 2.4 Billion Pesos for the concreting of Dinagat-Loreto Road.
On economic development, Gov. Jade said that the economic progress of the province today relies mainly on the development of agriculture and fishery industries. “This is the very reason why I have focused my attention on the life of our marginal people which are the farmers and fisherfolks.”
On agriculture, the province according to Gov. Jade intensified the rice production in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture by providing certified palay seeds with fertilizer inputs to 140 rice farmers covering 180 hectares under the 50-50 scheme. While in the livestock sector, her administration is currently concerned with the increasing of population of carabaos through the use of artificial insemination.
Seeing the seaweed industry as the lucrative industry in the world market, Gov. Jade is also pushing for the development of seaweed industry in the province and become known as the seaweed capital in the region, “we have distributed 4,000 kilos of seaweed propagules to our seaweed farmers. Two units of solar dryer for seaweeds were fabricated and distributed to the municipalities of San Jose and Libjo… Ang atong tinguha mao nga mahimong ‘Seaweed Capital’ ang atong probinsya dinhi sa Caraga.”
In the cooperative sector, the provincial government according to Gov. Jade has released a total of Php300, 000 to six cooperatives to finance their livelihood projects.
In her effort to promote tourism in the province, Gov. Jade showcased some of the tourist attractions in the province that include: Hinabyan Beach Resort, Cagdianao; Bitaug Beach, Basilisa; Tagbirayan Beach, Cagdianao; Puerto Prinsesa, White Beach, Basilisa; Cabilan White Beach, Dinagat; Lake Babau, Basilisa. Other identified points of interests include: La Isla Aga, Basilisa’ Magazine Waterfalls, Basilisa’ Legaspi Waterfalls, Cagdianao; Bangkaw Spring Resort, Tubajon; Basilisa Rock formations, Basilisa; Basilisa islets, Basilisa; Bonsai Forest, Loreto; Punta Villa Cave, Libjo; the famous PBMA Founder’s Shrine, San Jose and Bat Sanctuary, Tubajon.
Gov. Jade on the other hand acknowledged the mining industry as a major contributor to the local and national economy. “Right now, we have fourteen mining companies operating in the province. While mining industry is generally a nature-destructive business if not done right, we will see to it that mining operations in the province will not destroy our other equally important resources, such as coastal, marine and potential tourist destinations.” (PIA-Surigao del Norte)
