(Sa P300-M farm machinery mula sa Japan) PH SUGAR PRODUCTION LALAKAS

PHOTO COURTESY OF CNN PHILIPPINES

INAASAHAN ng sugar industry ang paglakas ng produksiyon sa suporta ng 800 million yen (P300 million) na halaga ng farm machinery na donasyon ng Japanese government para sa maliliit na sugarcane farmers sa Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao.

Ang donasyon, na nasa ilalim ng Japan Non-Project Grant Aid, ay tinanggap nina  Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. at Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona mula sa  Embassy of Japan’s Agriculture Attaché Jumpei Tachikawa, sa  ceremonial turnover na idinaos sa SRA office grounds sa Bacolod City noong Sabado.

“I’m glad to see the SRA steer the sugarcane industry in the right direction with its productivity programs, but there is more to do beyond immediate concerns here in Negros. We look forward to the programs and collaborations such as this that allow us to tackle the challenges head-on,” sabi ni Laurel.

Ang dinonate na farm machinery ay kinabibilangan ng  80 tractors (641.52 million yen), 48 sugar planters (38.32 million yen), 5 power harrows (11.04 million yen), at 48 lateral flail mowers (108.96 million yen).

“I’d like to express my gratitude to Mr. Jumpei Tachikawa, the first secretary and agriculture attaché at the Japanese Embassy, who has been instrumental in the success of this program,” ani Laurel said, at idinagdag na  “modernizing Philippine agriculture is key to meeting the President’s (Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.) and the public’s expectations of more affordable and accessible food items.”

Sinabi ni Laurel na ang  partnership ng Pilipinas sa Japanese government ay nakatutulong sa pamahalaan na tugunan ang naturang concerns sa pamamagitan ng modernisasyon at mechanization.

“Our two nations are bound by common interests. Our trading partnership, which brings greater prosperity and opportunity to citizens of both our countries, has grown dramatically in recent years,” dagdag pa niya.

Ayon kay Azcona, ang donasyon ng Japanese government ay isang “very generous gift” sa sugar industry.

“This is a big help since we are moving forward to be globally competitive. The farmers need to go mechanized,” aniya.

Karamihan sa 80 tractors ay iti-turn over sa sugarcane areas sa Visayas, pangunahin sa Negros Occidental, ang top sugar-producing province ng bansa.

(PNA)