Solon calls for support in sustaining food production in CAR

July 23, 2018 Metro BLISTT

Baguio City Rep. Mark Go appealed to Cordillerans to help sustain food production for the whole country by saving the region’s natural resources to.
In a message during the celebration of the 31st founding anniversary of Cordillera Administrative Region recently, Go cited that about 70 percent of the highland vegetable supply in the country comes from the Cordillera.
He said the highland region is dubbed the “watershed cradle of the north,” with high potential for agricultural productivity, having been blessed with natural resources like mountains, water, trees, and even mineral deposits.
He said such abundance does not only present potentials for the country’s food sufficiency, but employment and income for the locals as well.
“What binds us together as Cordillerans is the environment. So, we need to protect it,” he said.
He added autonomy for the region, which Cordillera leaders call for, would actually benefit the locals by reaping the fruits of their labor or profiting from their own agricultural produce.
“Autonomy would propel the economy because we need to be not only self-sufficient but competitive,” he said. “It will be a catalyst towards greater economic production. We cannot simply rely on national dole-outs.” PAMELA MARIZ GEMINIANO, PNA / ABN