Honorable Undersecretary Salvador S. Salacup
Department of Agriculture
Honorable Governor Niel Tupas
Iloilo Province
Ms. Mathy Octavio
Exective Assistant office of the Mayor, Iloilo City
Executive Director Larry P. Nacionales
Regional Field Unit VI, Department of Agriculture
Dr. Maria Luz A. Enriquez
Deputy Executive Director, NAFC
Chairman Ricardo P. Provido
Regional Agricultural & Fishery Council, Region VI
Distinguished Guests, our Farmer-beneficiaries in Iloilo,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good morning to you all!
At the outset, on behalf of the Government and People of Japan, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims of the recent typhoons.
Today, it is a great pleasure for me to be with you all for the turnover ceremony of fertilizers under the Program of “Grant Assistance for Underprivileged Farmers”.
The Philippines is the recipient of 480 million Yen worth of fertilizers under the Grant Aid's 31st tranche. I signed and exchanged Notes with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo for this purpose last March.
For the past three decades, Japan has provided farm inputs worth billions of Pesos for this program, which has enhanced agricultural production nationwide. F urthermore, the counter-value fund of this program has been utilized for a wide range of agricultural and fishery development projects such as post harvest facilities, construction and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities, farm to market roads, capacity building programs for farmers, to name a few. Today's ceremony symbolizes Japan's continuing efforts to provide renewed hopes and greater livelihood opportunities for low-income Filipino farmers.
It should be worthwhile to note that this program is instrumental in providing various economic opportunities for the rural people and contributes to improving the lives at the grassroots level as well.
For the most recent commodity-assistance package, the Philippines received a total volume of 26,135 metric tons of fertilizers for distribution to small rice farmers in 14 provinces. The fertilizers were shipped in four batches to three ports in Davao, Iloilo and Subic for strategic distribution to rice-farmers in selected provinces.
I am confident, therefore, that this program will foster self-reliance not only among the immediate target beneficiaries in the targeted provinces, but eventually contribute to the food security program of the Philippine Government.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Department of Agriculture particularly the National Agricultural and Fishery Council and other agencies concerned for their steadfast efforts to empower the farmers through this program. I also take this opportunity to commend the efforts of the Department of Agriculture for undertaking efficient measures to mitigate the adverse effects brought by recent calamities and environmental changes that have severely affected the farmers.
In closing, I hope this program will continue to uplift the lives of the underprivileged rural people. Let us combine all our efforts to make this program a continuing testimony of the mutual cooperation and cordial friendship built and shared for many years between our two countries and peoples.
Thank you very much for your attention, and Mabuhay.
Embassy of Japan in the Philippines