VP Binay, Sen. Villar cite Cojuangco’s vision in agri
COJUANGCO’S INITIATIVE
VILLASIS—Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Cynthia Villar lauded former Pangasinan fifth district Rep. Mark Cojuangco’s initiative for the establishment of modern palay drying facilities and warehouse here and in Alcala benefiting farmers who stand to earn more owing to better quality of their produce.
Villar, accompanied by Cojuangco, had a dialogue Thursday with more than 600 farmers and irrigators at the palay drying facility in Barangay Unzad here where she joined the distribution of palay seeds and fertilizer courtesy of Abono partylist through its founding chairman, Engr. Rosendo So for the next planting season.
Cojuangco narrated how the palay drying facility came into being through the tobacco excise tax.
Villar, chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Agriculture and Food admired the project noting that when farmers dry their palay on cemented roads, they easily lose 20% when winds blow in the area and when motor vehicles run over the palay breaking them into pieces.
Former Pangasinan Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco is joined by Villasis local officials led by Mayor Ditas Abrenica in distributing inputs to farmers.
Villar said the installation of the modern drying facility is a good example how mechanization can make farmers more competitive in ASEAN region.
She told the farmers that they should consider themselves lucky because they have such a facility in their district, something that farmers in other parts of the country can only dream of.
Another palay drying facility also built through the initiative of Cojuangco is located in Alcala town.
The vice president, who arrived here also on Friday, cited Cojuangco for his initiative in constructing a palay dryer that can dry up to 400 metric tons per day, saying this is a big boost for the farmers.
Binay was joined by Cojuangco, local officials and market vendors here in a “boodle fight” Friday morning at the Bagsakan Market.
Both Villar and Binay were warmly welcomed by local officials and residents led by Cojuangco and Mayor Dita Abrenica.
Meanwhile, Cojuangco urged the farmers to deviate from their “function of habit” who insist on doing their farming the traditional way.
“Everyone who have tried this facility were happy,” Cojuangco acknowledged. He said the facility been benefitted farmers in the past three cropping seasons.
He said proof of the benefits is the increasing volume of palay being brought to the facility for drying.
The Alcala modern drying facility will start operating in the next harvest season for the main crop.
The cost of drying in the facility is only sixty-five centavos (P.65) per kilogram for farmers.
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