ILOILO CITY – The newly installed regional director of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas is pushing for the modernization of the agriculture and fishery sectors in the region.
“We must strive to modernize agri-fishery and agribusiness sectors as stipulated in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028. This is our way to address the worsening effects of climate change and economic slowdown due to global recession,” said DA-6 Director Jose Albert Barrogo.
Barrogo said the DA-6 and its line agencies must assess their performance in the last five years to be able to draw out future plans and programs for the region comprising of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces as well as highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.
“We must think again, think ahead and think across,” said Barrogo.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Barrogo said agriculture, fishery, and forestry (AFF) were still able to contribute to the Gross Domestic Regional Product (GRDP) during the pandemic.
The AFF had a growth rate of 6.4 percent in 2020 and was the only sector that grew as Covid-19’s negative impact caused a slump in other sectors.
In 2021, the AFF’s growth rate was pegged at 4.1 percent.
For DA-6 to be able to strengthen its role, Barrogo urged the workforce to perform with integrity and professionalism; have efficient finance and operations management; engage in more relevant research; and effective extension.
Meanwhile, Dominador Marquez was designated as the office-in-charge regional technical director for operations and extensions while Zarlina Cuello is OIC regional technical director for research and regulations.