Marcos to DA: Create more soil testing centers

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has tasked the Department of Agriculture to make soil testing more accessible across the country.

During a meeting in Malacañang with the DA on Tuesday, Marcos, who previously served as Agriculture chief, lamented the shortage of soil testing centers in the Philippines.

“Kulang na kulang tayo sa soil analysis (We are lacking when it comes to soil analysis). We cannot tell the farmers how much fertilizers to use. We cannot give them any advice because we don’t know ourselves what the condition of the soil is,” Marcos said.

The President said there should be at least one soil testing center for every region. He said this would allow agriculturists to respond promptly to farmers seeking guidance about the crops suitable on their lands.

“That (soil mapping) actually applies to all crops,” Marcos said.

The DA earlier recommended soil mapping in Luzon areas as part of the program to expand the sugar industry.

Meanwhile, Marcos also expressed support for the “Bayani ng Pilipinas” campaign in championing farmers as heroes of the country.

In a separate meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), Marcos emphasized the farmers’ sacrifice to provide food for Filipinos and sustain its supply.

“Yes, it’s hard (farming) but look what they, how , what they do. If, you know, if they didn’t farm, we wouldn’t have anything to eat,” the President said.

The ''Bayani ng Pilipinas'' campaign aims to advocate farming as a “good way of life” as it also encourages the younger generation to pursue farming as a profession.

Marcos also tasked the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) to look into forging a partnership between agriculture cooperatives and local government units to strengthen the training of farmers.

He suggested that the CDA should look into establishing partnerships with the LGUs to carry out farmers’ development and training.

“Maybe we have to come to some kind of partnership for LGUs that are in fact interested. Or the areas that we would like to organize better,” Marcos said. 

The CDA is a government agency attached to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). It promotes the viability and growth of cooperatives as instruments of equity, social justice, and economic development.--VAL, GMA Integrated News