CEBU CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Central Visayas has advised local government officials to be careful in approving applications for land reclassification and conversion that may have a negative impact on the region’s food security.
Lawyer Salvador Diputado, regional director of DA-7, said the region has sufficient food supplies, citing, the recent agri-fishery trade fair here. He said farmers have managed to sustain their production capabilities despite the erratic weather conditions.
Diputado said issues on reclassification and conversion of agricultural land to residential or commercial land pose danger of depleting the existing farmlands in exchange for real estate development.
He urged local government officials to ensure that the existing farmlands in their areas are maintained. “Nakagamay pa atong mga mag-uuma, nagkagamay pud atong agricultural land, wa na tay matamnan,” he said, adding, farmers are also facing a dilemma in competing with imported rice.
He said based on data, rice produced by local rice farmers has high production cost compared to imported ones. “Take for example, one kilo of rice produced in Vietnam needs P6 to produce it, while here, our local farmers need P12 in producing the same kilo of rice here,” Diputado said. He said the current thrust now is to ensure sufficiency of rice supply. (John Rey Saavedra)
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