The local government of Dingras town in Ilocos Norte has donated close to 20 hectares of land to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

“The donation will undoubtedly benefit our farmers and other stakeholders not only in Ilocos Norte but also in the Ilocos Region,” Medardo Pablo, chief of the Ilocos Norte Research and Extension Center, said in an interview on Tuesday.

Mayor Joefrey Saguid facilitated the lot donation which has a total land area of 19.64 hectares. A deed of donation was signed on Monday.

In exchange, the DA turned over a livestock hauling truck worth PHP3.5 million to the Dingras municipal government.

The hauling truck is part of the DA’s Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) program, which aims to accelerate hog repopulation and revitalize the swine industry after many hog raisers in the province incurred losses due to African swine fever (ASF).

Melinda Calumpit, assistant chief of the DA Dingras station, said the exchange shows the commitment and collaboration of both the national and local governments to transform the lives of the community they serve.

“When we work together, we can create aspirations that turn into reality,” she said.

Over the years, the DA’s research group in the province has been instrumental in training more traditional farmers here to level up their skills as certified rice seed producers and diversified crop growers to increase their income.

They also helped organize farmers’ associations and link them to manufacturers so that they get a better chance to sell their produce at a higher price rather than walk-in traders who dictate the price of their commodity.

“Our heartfelt thanks to DA, provincial and municipal governments for their continuing support and assistance to us farmers,” said Ferdinand Obrero, a farmer in Dingras who was a recipient of DA’s services in research and development, technology promotion, and technical assistance. (PNA)