Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar, who is also the Cordillera’s Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS), is inviting residents in the region to go into farming as it has big income potentials.

“For those who have been laid off from their jobs and continue to find a decent livelihood, I encourage you to try your chances in agriculture,” Dar said in his message during the kick-off program for the month-long celebration of the 34th Cordillera Day on Thursday.

He said the Cordillera region has the proper conditions that make it an important producer of rice, vegetables, sugarcane, coffee, and other upland crops.

“You can also have export opportunities if you pursue agriculture here, given the export quality of the products in this region,” Dar added.

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was created under Executive Order 220 by former president Corazon Aquino on July 15, 1997 to prepare it to become an autonomous region.

In a press conference after the kick-off program, DA-CAR Director Cameron Odsey said farming would still be sustainable even under the highest community quarantine classification.

“Pwedeng magtanim ka para sa iyong pangangailangan. Then kung may sobra, pwede mong ibenta (You can plant for your needs and if there is excess, you can sell it),” Odsey said.

“We go back to the soil and produce during this difficult time. An example is the DA’s support (for) agriculture where urban citizens were able to produce food even on the small areas of their rooftops. Agriculture is something that can be done that will contribute to sufficiency even at the time of the pandemic.”

He said the DA offices in the country have programs, projects, and assistance that they carry out with local government units (LGUs) to help the public.

The LGUs also have resources that support agricultural industries, he added.

Potentials of Agri Produce

Odsey said the DA is in the process of developing the export market for the Cordillera’s produce.

He said those with potentials are the heirloom rice or the traditional rice, the Arabica coffee, and high-value crops.

Odsey said with the help of other agencies, such as the departments of trade and science and technology, farmers are being assisted in forming organizations and cooperatives to help them go into entrepreneurship and add value to their produce so they could earn more from their crops.

“If we concentrate on special commodities with niche markets, such as the one we started on traditional rice or heirloom rice that was exported to the US and other parts of Europe, we can start from that as another source of income of farmers,” he said.

Odsey said farming and food production would not go out of style but would continue to thrive while people continue to eat.