Thursday, August 26, 2010

Surigao City LGU Allocates Bigger Chunk of Budget for Agri over Infra

Surigao City – The newly elected city mayor of Surigao Ernesto Matugas set a clear direction for the city to prioritize agriculture through allocating bigger chunk of budget from 20 percent development fund over infrastructure.

Probably first time in the whole country the local government unit (LGU) of Surigao will allocate 70% for agriculture and aquaculture while the remaining 30% will be for infrastructure taken from the 20% development fund of the city.

The amount is totally reverse from the previous administration which according to him allocated the 30% for agriculture while 70% for infrastructure.

“Bahala na mangasuko nako ang mga contractor kay 30 porseyinto lang ang maila, ang importante sa ako kamo mga mag-uuma ug mga mangingisda” (I don’t care contractors will got irked of me because only 30% are due to them, what is important to me are you, farmers and fisherfolks), he said boldly during a forum with the farmers.

Matugas said that under his administration the city of Surigao will embark more on food production.

Meanwhile, Matugas lauded the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit 13 through the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division (RAFID) for conducting University on the Air in the province of Surigao del Norte including Surigao City on Hybrid Rice Production.

During the mass enrollment held last July 13-15, 2010, Matugas notably the lone local chief executive who attended the activity said that giving an opportunity to the farmers to study rice production through a radio station is a great contributory factor towards the attainment of food sufficiency program of the government.

Regional Agriculture and F isheries Information Division (RAFID) OIC Rebecca Atega, was overwhelmed due to hundreds of farmers flocked during the mass enrollment that took place in Tagana-an, Placer, San Francisco and Bacuag in Surigao del Norte and in Surigao City and soon in Sison.

The University on the Air on Hybrid Rice Production, an advocacy program of RAFID will start August 4, 2010 and ends November 24, 2010 through farm casters Zenaida Peramide of Surigao del Norte Provincial Agriculture Office and Aurell Arais of RAFID DA-RFU 13. (Aurell P. Arais/ RAFID DA-CARAGA)


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