Press Release
January 4, 2012

KIKO URGES LGUs TO UTILIZE IDLE LANDS FOR AGRI
TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan urges local government officials to utilize idle lands within their jurisdiction for agriculture to ensure food supply in their localities.

"In light of the havoc wreaked by typhoon 'Sendong', where officials were scrambling for food sources, it would be wise for LGUs to utilize idle lands for crops that could be used as buffer for such eventualities."

Pangilinan also urges returning OFWs to invest in the agriculture and fisheries sector, saying there are a lot to be optimistic about these sectors for the New Year.

"The Department of Agriculture has been given a major boost with the biggest budget allocation hike among all agencies. The Aquino administration is committed to modernizing agriculture sector and this is enough to boost the confidence of our countrymen in investing in the agriculture and fisheries sector."

"The LGUs must create an enabling environment and encourage these investments as they look to uplift their communities. While it isn't wrong to use land for factories, malls, or housing, we should prioritize land for food, more so if said lands are irrigable. The lessons we have learned through such disasters as typhoons and other calamities should be taken to heart--that we must, first and foremost, secure the needs of our people, especially when hunger is on the rise."

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