THE RIGHT to have a better and progressive education does not only belong to our students in schools. Among the pillars of our country, our farmers—the parents of most of our students—also need good education.

In Tuesday’s budget hearing of the committee on appropriations headed by Vice Governor Rolex T. Suplico, the OIC provincial agriculturist appears to have successfully defended his budget for the year 2008 and the vice governor appeared very interested in his programs.

Suplico explained that he was particularly interested in the programs of the provincial agriculturist’s office because Iloilo is an agricultural province and is looked at as the country’s “support province”, meaning, next to Luzon, Iloilo’s agricultural production, particularly in rice, is seen as the “back up” to the now dwindling rice production of Luzon. 

Rightly so, because, when I was in the elementary and high school years back, I remember Iloilo was considered the “rice granary of the Philippines”. It was only recently, when residential areas, subdivisions, fishponds, corn, coffee and sugarcane plantations started to crop up everywhere that the province’s production had dwindled and it lost its “crown” to Central Luzon.

For this reason, a series of provincial administrations have tried to win back the “crown” by increasing agricultural production. They tried everything, including giving out high grade seeds and the integrated pest management and organic farming method. Right now, the province’s production had increased but, to keep it up, we need greater and sustained efforts.

Dr. Ildefonso Toledo, officer-in-charge provincial agriculturist, who had taken over the post vacated by former Bingawan and San Enrique mayor Zafiro Palabrica, is trying a new strategy—the introduction of municipal seed farms or rice nurseries that shall grow quality breed rice for distribution to farmers. He is also focusing on municipal or local irrigation and the intensification of the farmers field school to help increase the quality and volume of rice production. Dr. Toledo observed that farmers who have attended these field schools have produced more than those who have not attended.

Fifth district board member Jett Rojas observed that, while central Iloilo has sufficient production, it is the southern and northern Iloilo farmers who need help. In this regard, I believe that the province needs all the help it can get from agencies involved in agricultural development. Among them are the Department of Agrarian Reform, Burean of agricultural Economics and the Department of Agriculture.

One Saturday morning, about 8:30 to 9:00, I have heard a radio program of the DA over Radyo Natin, which I believe is the application of the UP Los Baños’ agricultural mass communications successful experimental program in 1977 that aimed to bring the media and technological knowledge closer to the farmers. Director Larry Nacionales, who is also advocating for a globally competitive agriculture, is expounding on DA’s programs and transferring of agricultural technology through the radio program.

The program is actually a farmer’s field school over the radio, but I wonder why I don’t hear it recently. Maybe DA should revive it to help our farmers. Maybe Dir. Nacionales can get the help of Iloilo PAO’s Dr. Toledo and that of other provincial and municipal agricultural offices so that his program can be regularly heard in the municipalities that really need help, particularly in southern and northern Iloilo.

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