AMIN: Wiping out rice imports by 2013 can be done!

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Anak Mindanao (AMIN) party-list today urged the government to focus its effort in strengthening rice production in Mindanao if it is really determined in wiping out rice imports by 2013.

Although several agricultural experts say that this is an impossible task, AMIN believes otherwise.

“The Philippines is maybe facing an uphill climb in its effort to wipe out rice imports by 2013, but this can be done. The government only have to focus its attention in developing the vast agricultural areas of the country, particularly Mindanao and strengthen the island’s rice production,” said AMIN Rep. Ariel C. Hernandez.

AMIN strongly believes in the capacity of Mindanao to answer the Philippines’ rice needs, considering that Mindanao is now considered as the Philippines’ food basket, accounting for 40 percent of the country’s total agricultural production.

“Compared to other areas of the Philippines, Mindanao also has the most fertile soil in the country. Most of its areas are also shielded from storms that devastate farms in other parts of the country,” AMIN’s first nominee, Rep. Hernandez said.

Mindanao’s rice production is 23 percent of the Philippines’ total output, the highest among the rice producing areas of the country, according to the International Rice Research Institute. Aside from this, Mindanao is also a top producer of other agricultural products like copra, corn and banana.

“With all these statistics pointing us toward Mindanao, it is only reasonable that government must focus on boosting Mindanao’s agriculture. We in AMIN have for a long time been advocating and demanding for Mindanao’s rightful and equitable share of the country’s finances which we can use to develop our island. It is now high time that government heed our call,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez reiterated the dreams of all Mindanawons for the island to get its equal and rightful share of the country’s wealth, which he said will greatly impact on the island’s march towards sustainable development.

“While there is clearly a bias against Mindanao in the sharing of the national wealth, and while we continue to advocate and urged our national leaders to give Mindanao its rightful and equal share of this wealth, we also have to move on our own and not wait for Manila to heed our calls; we have to do our best to make our island economically viable for investors and businesses,” he said.

AMIN, a true Mindanawon party-list group established to advance the dreams and aspirations of all Mindanawons here and abroad, is seeking to reclaim its seat in Congress in the May 10, 2010 synchronized elections.

AMIN is number 81 in the official ballot.

One of AMIN’s objectives is food security through sustainable agricultural productivity.

“One way of sustaining the productivity of the agriculture sector is empowering farmers and other agricultural workers so that they will profit from all their efforts and endeavors. In this way, we are assured of a stable supply of our basic food which will eventually make us become independent from other countries, which ironically, have overtaken us after learning from us the science of increasing agricultural productivity,” Hernandez said.

AMIN’s Hernandez said that government must take the lead but he encourage all other sectors, particularly the agriculture sector to all initiate reforms and practices that can sustain the sector in the midst of climate change and global warming.

He said one of the ways to shield the sector from the effects of El Niño is water impoundment and rain water collection, which can be used to irrigate ricefields and water farms.

PHILIP JAMES MONGAYA TREMEDALCALL OR TEXT ME : E-MAIL ME : pjtremedal@gmail.comvisit my website: www.mindanao on-line.tk