LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- Governor Amado Espino III on Monday paid tribute to the corn industry stakeholders of Pangasinan whose performance, he said, helped the province receive its 4th National Corn Achievers Award with a corresponding prize of PHP3 million.
Espino, along with Office of the Provincial Agriculturist Officer-in-charge Dalisay Moya and Supervising Agriculturist Nestor Batalla received the award last Nov. 23 from the Department of Agriculture in a ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
The governor said on Monday that the unprecedented fourth award was clinched because of the solid foundation laid down by the former provincial administration of his father, former Governor Amado Espino Jr., now Pangasinan 5th district representative.
Under the former governor's leadership, the province reaped two national corn achievers award - in 2013 and 2014.
The third and fourth awards were received by the province under the watch of the younger Espino in 2016 and 2017 which, he said, are a manifestation of outstanding performance of Pangasinan corn industry stakeholders, especially the farmers.
A report from the provincial agriculture office showed Pangasinan’s yellow corn production in 2016 totaled 363,838 metric tons while white corn was 4,522.
If added together, the total corn harvest last year was 368,360 metric tons.
Espino said the corn production development program of the province aims to make Pangasinan one of the major producers of high-grade yellow corn.
This, along with rice production, could overwhelmingly boost the province’s well-deserved title as the “food basket of Northern Philippines.”
Other awardees this year include: Dalisay Moya-Outstanding Provincial Agriculturist; Venancio B. Valeroso-Outstanding Provincial Corn Coordinator; Chrisanto Balita of Sto. Tomas and Edgardo Tugas of Alcala- Outstanding Municipal Agriculturists; Ramil R. Bustamante and Elizabeth Tubera of Sto. Tomas and Alcala- Outstanding Municipal Coordinators; Napoleon Campos of Sta. Barbara and Daisy Dela Cruz of Mangaldan-Hall of Famers, Outstanding Agricultural Extension Workers along with Jonathan Dominguez of San Nicolas, Zosima Belmonte of San Quintin, Alicia Noche of Mangaldan.
The eastern towns of Sto. Tomas and Alcala also received PHP1 million each for being conferred as Outstanding Municipalities in corn production. (PNA)
