The Department of Agriculture (DA) distributed on Tuesday various livelihood assistance and farm machineries to 305 fisherfolk and farmers in the province.

The move is under the DA’s stimulus program “Ahon Lahat, Pagkain Sapat Kontra Covid-19” or ALPAS sa Covid-19.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar, together with National Food Authority (NFA) chief Carol Dansal, DA regional director Crispulo Bautista, DA Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Assistant Director for Operations Juan Albaladejo, NFA regional manager Olivia Obaña, and Agricultural Training Institute regional director Veronica Esguerra arrived here to personally oversee the assistance distribution at the Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium.

Governor Daniel Fernando thanked Dar and the DA family for all the blessings they brought to the farmers and fishermen.

“This is a great help to the farmers and fishermen in our province who have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Fernando said.

The assistance given to the fisherfolk includes 51 million milkfish fry, 1.3 million tilapia fingerlings, a tilapia culture, and nursery system, two hatchery-reared milkfish nurseries, shrimp Penaeus Vannamei cultured for 75 days in a brackish water pond, an aquaponics, a floating solar venture aeration system, a tilapia hatchery incubation system, 80 gillnets, 25 cast nets, 18 fish vending equipment, an elevated solar dryer, and 28 marine engines.

On the other hand, some of the farm machineries that the farmers received are six four-wheel-drive tractors, six combine harvesters, 27 shallow tube wells, two recirculating dryers, two mobile flash dryers, and four warehouses with a total worth of PHP36,404,726.

The program is under the DA’s Rice Mechanization Program: Provision of Agricultural Production, Postharvest and Processing Machinery, and Equipment in support of the Rice Program CY 2020.

Dar said he will make sure that the government assistance will be received by the farmers and fisherfolk in the countryside.

“Nais kong iparating sa inyo ang mensahe ng ating mahal na Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte ang nagsasabi na minamahal niya kayong lahat ng magsasaka at mangingisda dito sa lalawigan ng Bulacan (I wish to convey the message of our beloved President Rodrigo Roa Duterte saying that he loves all of you—farmers and fisherfolk here in the province of Bulacan),” he said.

Ako kasi ang gusto ko ay aksyon sa kanayunan. Gusto ko ay nakikita ko yung pagtulong, pag-asikaso sa lahat ng ating magsasaka at mangingisda sa kanayunan (I want action in the countryside. I want to see the help and the taking care of to our farmers and fishermen in the countryside). And we are happy because government assistance reaches our farmers and fishermen,” Dar added. (PNA)