CAGAYAN de Oro City — A total of 16,250 Northern Mindanao residents bought rice at P20 per kilo during the Sept. 14 Handog ng Pangulo (HNP) Serbisyo Fair, while farmers and local government units received P56.6 million worth of agricultural assistance, according to the Department of Agriculture-10.
The rice was made available in Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Camiguin and Iligan City through the DA-10, DA-Food Terminal Inc. and National Food Authority, in coordination with local governments.
Each beneficiary could buy up to 10 kilos at P20 per kilo.
For farmer Girlie Asinero of Barangay Mambuaya, Cagayan de Oro City, the lower-priced rice meant savings that could be used for other household needs.
“Dako kaayo og ika-tabang kay sa P200 nimo, 10 na ka kilo [sa bugas], samantalang sa market karon naa siya sa mga 50 [per kilo],” she said.
Asinero said the savings could help families buy food to go with their rice.
What the P56.6M included
The DA-10 said the P56.6 million in agricultural interventions included farm machinery, hauling trucks, high-value crop planting materials, forage seeds, veterinary medicines and supplies, and a financial grant for a Kadiwa trading post in Misamis Occidental.
The agency also said the fair provided farmers an opportunity to market their produce through Kadiwa, where fruits, vegetables, eggs and other food products were sold.
DA-10 Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Pacamalan said the assistance was part of the agency’s continuing support for the agriculture sector.
He also said the agency had completed a P250 million Corn Silo and Storage System Project for the Misamis Oriental Agriculture Industry Development Complex in Claveria.
“Sa sumada, dili moubos sa P3 billion ang suporta sa DA para sa Northern Mindanao [karong tuiga],” Pacamalan said.
The P3-billion figure refers to the DA’s total support for Northern Mindanao this year, according to Pacamalan.
Access to government services
The HNP Serbisyo Fair, held under the theme “Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat,” brought national government agencies and local governments together to provide agricultural, livelihood, medical, legal, educational and social services.
Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Senior Undersecretary Henry L. Yap, who represented President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. at the Misamis Oriental fair, said the nationwide program involved P2.8 billion in interventions.
He said the program aimed to provide opportunities to students, workers, farmers, fisherfolk and small business owners.
The figures released for Northern Mindanao include the P20-per-kilo rice sales and the P56.6 million in agricultural interventions.
The DA figures cited in the program materials refer to assistance delivered during the fair and the agency’s broader support for the region.
For residents who availed of the rice program, the immediate benefit was the difference between the P20 program price and prevailing retail prices.
For farmers and LGUs, the assistance came through equipment, inputs, supplies and other agricultural support.
The fair was part of the national HNP program, which brought government services to communities through a one-stop setting. (With a report from Recthie T. Paculba of PIA-10)
