In response to the directive of President Gloria Arroyo, Administrators of agriculture and fishery schools of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) takes the lead their in full-scale food production to contribute to national food security.
TESDA agriculture and fishery schools nationwide will soon produce rice and other agricultural crops, livestock, and aquatic products in “commercial quantities”, according to TESDA Director General Augusto Boboy Syjuco.
The administrators and officials of TESDA technology institutions gathered in Manila recently for a special meeting which focused on the discussion of the food production plans of each institution.
Secretary Syjuco convened the meeting in response to the call of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to utilize all tillable lands to ensure food security and sufficiency.
“The TESDA as a government institution will contribute to our country’s food security. We have to tap and maximize the use of existing resources and harness our own expertise in increasing food production,” Secretary Syjuco said.
According to Secretary Syjuco, TESDA technical institutions own a combined land area of 2,000 hectares which can be used for agri-fishery production. At present, these technology institutions use their land resources as training laboratories and experimental facilities for various agri-fishery courses. TESDA has 125 technology institutions all over the country.
Pastor Guiao, TESDA deputy director general for community and local government units services, exhorted the agri-fishery schools heads to increase production of agricultural crops, livestock, and aquatic products to contribute to national effort of averting food shortage in the country.
One of the food production plans presented in the meeting was the proposed cultivation and wide scale planting of dragon fruit by the Bangui Institute of Technology in Ilocos Norte. The exotic fruit is presently being grown in Pasuquin and Burgos towns.
Another proposal which elicited deep interest among the school heads is the utilization of vermi composting technology to produce organic fertilizers for crop production.
While the agri-fishery schools chiefs noted that increasing food production in their respective schools would require funds for new equipment, support infrastructure, and other inputs, they agreed that implementing their food production plans as soon as possible will generate income for their schools, students and communities.
“In the long-term, increasing food production will be good for our country,” they said.
