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Food security should be
Bohol's priority thrust
More
than anything else, food security should be Bohol 's priority
thrust in the years ahead.
Vice
Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera noted that while the province has
other options in its development agenda like tourism, food
security should never be relegated to the sidelines.
The
vice-governor has consistently called for the use of idle
and arable lands for rice and other agricultural uses long
before the current rice supply crisis.
He
noted that while Bohol has been considered as the rice granary
of Central Visayas , it has not increased production for the
last 12 years.
Figures
provided by agriculture stakeholders reveal that since 1996,
production has not increased beyond 83 percent.
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About
a year ago, Herrera had also warned about the possibility
of a rice crisis breaking out based on his observations
that the shortage in the supply of rice.
"We
should not neglect agriculture but in fact should give
it top priority in our development agenda," the
vice governor noted.
Herrera,
who chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan agriculture
committee, said that for the moment, there is a need
to address the rice shortage.
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The
vice-governor said that while he believes the government is
doing everything it can to address the problem, there is a
need for all sectors in society to cooperate.
Herrera
however noted that there is a need to learn from this shortage
and that is to make sure that agriculture will be given priority
in the future.
"First
of all, there is a need for us to use all available lands
for agricultural production," he noted.
At
the same time, Herrera said the government should prevent
the conversion of rice lands to other uses.
"If
we are facing shortages with our existing production, how
much more if we convert existing rice fields to other uses?"
he pointed out.
Herrera
said that aside from rice, there is a need to increase production
in other agricultural products in Bohol .
Except
for mango, the production in all other agricultural products
in the province either did not increase or actually went down.
Herrera
added that while the rice shortage is already being felt,
something must be done to prepare the rice fields for the
next planting season.
"We
should also start doing something about the idle lands that
have not been put to good use until now," he said.
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