By Saul E. Pa-a
SAN PABLO CITY, Laguna, (PNA) — With the brewing issue on the price hike on rice, San Pablo City Mayor Loreto “Amben” S. Amante and neighboring Alaminos business leaders mulled on Monday of venturing into massive planting of corn as the next viable staple to rice in this city and the adjoining town.
Amante met with the Alaminos (Laguna) Business Circle leaders with known poultryman Virgilio F. Monzones, former Laguna Board Member Arcadio B. Gapangada and City Information Officer Leonides A. Abril who discussed with the San Pablo chief executive their agribusiness proposal.
The mayor and business leaders planned to transform the city’s and Alaminos vast plantations and farms into a so-called “Corn Granary South of Manila.”
The city and Alaminos agribusiness leaders hatched the proposal and would submit the feasibility study to the Department of Agriculture to support the program where some 150 hectares in the area have already been planted to corn.
Amante and local leaders were also requested to encourage private farm and plantation owners to shift to corn or adopt the program as an alternative crop in support of the government’s food security program.
The San Pablo and Alaminos agribusiness leaders expressed optimism for the interest among farmers and agricultural workers to grow corn because this is a viable staple for human consumption and as feeds for farm animals.
Monzones who has completed graduate studies on agricultural management in Canada shared the success stories of Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet how these places become known as the country’s “vegetable bowl.”
Monzones added that both Baguio and Benguet as the “food and agriculture basket,” have sustained their crop supplies to Metro Manila and some areas in Luzon.
The agribusiness leaders believed that both San Pablo City and Alaminos have vast agricultural potential given their boost in farming inputs, implement and the agricultural sector to achieve the “Corn Granary” proposal.