BAGUIO CITY – The Embassy of Japan handed out a US$46,244 (approximately P2.6-million) grant to small farmers from the Bacarra Multi-Purpose Cooperative, to buy a refrigerated truck for the cooperative’s farmer-members on Tuesday.
The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines Second Secretary Nishimura Tokiko attended the turnover ceremony for The Project for the Provision of a Refrigerated Delivery Truck for Small-scale Farmers in Ilocos Norte in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte’s capital.
Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc, Vice-Governor Cecilia Araneta Marcos, Bacarra Sangguniang Bayan Chairman on Agriculture Jonathan Sagario, Bacarra Multi-Purpose Cooperative Chairperson Primrose Manglal-lan, and the farmers of Ilocos Norte graced the turn-over rites that could spell huge benefits to the province’s agriculture.
Most residents in Ilocos Norte engage in agriculture as their main source of income. But small-scale farmers grapple with the dual burden of high demand and escalating logistical costs, the Japanese Embassy acknowledged.
Lacking their own transportation, small farmers often resort to renting vehicles or relying on intermediaries, posing not only risks to the quality of their fresh produce but can also lead to delays and unpaid incomes.
Ms. Nishimura told farmer-beneficiaries of the grant that she hopes that the use of the truck will significantly improve the farmers’ incomes and that they would become a role model for others to follow. — Artemio A. Dumlao
