MABINAY TOWN EYES AGRO-INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY SHIFT
MANILA - The local economy has to adapt to a more productive industry in order to move forward on its road to cityhood, Mabinay, Negros Oriental Mayor Joeterry Abada-Uy said on Friday.
The local government is supporting mechanization of the agriculture sector, which is also in line with the programs of the Department of Agriculture. Farmer cooperatives there were given mechanical equipment, such as tractor, harvester,and farm implements, for their crops. They are also a recipient of a Solar Power Irrigation System.
There were also 110 marginalized farmers who benefitted from DA’s Survival and Recovery Assistance Program for Rice Farmers (SURE Aid Program). This aims to assist the rice farmers whose incomes were affected by the drop in the farm gate price of palay.
Aside from this the town is also a recipient of the animal dispersal project under DA’s SAAD program, an agricultural intervention that is intended to help alleviate poverty among the marginalized sectors of agriculture and fishery.
Mayor Uy said they are now seeking the assistance of the provincial government for the concreting of more farm-to-market roads there. She added that almost 95% of their main road is already concreted and this is really a big help for their farmers.
On the other hand, Mayor Uy said they are planning for the eventual cityhood of Mabinay by focusing their efforts on allowing more investors to venture in the municipality, and likewise increase job opportunities there.
She also noted that they are qualified in terms of municipal revenues, and required area, and the only thing lacking is the required population to become a city.
