Benefitting the farming and fishing communities in the country’s northernmost province.
Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. recently made a visit to Batanes for the Department of Agriculture’s (DA)’s launch of of the Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! program in the province.
Alongside that, he also led the distribution of over PHP13 million worth of agricultural and fisheries interventions, which are aimed at boosting production and strengthening local livelihoods.
Tiu Laurel noted, “Ang P20 rice project ay patunay ng malasakit ng ating Pangulo sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino. Hindi lamang ito tungkol sa bigas. Ito ay tungkol sa dignidad, pagkakapantay-pantay, at pag-asa para sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino—kahit gaano kalayo.”
Batanes joins over 350 rollout sites nationwide of the program, which allows groups like senior citizens, solo parents, PWDs, 4Ps households, minimum wage earners, farmers, fisherfolk, and transport workers to purchase high-quality rice at PHP20 per kilo.
The DA also provided motorized fishing boats, chest freezers, chilling tanks, and various farming tools and inputs to 374 beneficiaries and turned over the inaugural Soil Fertility Map of Batanes—which is a key tool for science-based planning that identifies nutrient gaps, appropriate fertilizer, and land-use strategies to improve yield and soil health.
The agriculture chief also recognized the province’s unique challenges, such as limited irrigation and climate-related constraints.
“Alam natin na ang Batanes ay may kakaibang hamon. Pero alam din natin na ang mga Ivatan ay matatag, masipag, at may pusong handang magbuwis ng lakas para sa kanilang bayan,” he said.