By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Former Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary Emmanuel Piñol warned yesterday that high prices of pork will likely continue and the government needs to address the problem strategically.

Piñol paid a courtesy visit on Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday for the forging of a Memorandum of Technical Cooperation between Mindanao to be represented by the Mindanao Development Authority which he heads and the province of Negros Occidental on farming technologies.

Piñol pointed out that farmers need government support either through grants and loans and even subsidies even with feeds, piglets or chicks and come up with self-sufficiency on food production.

“Why insist on importation of pork and chicken when in a matter of 30 days our farmers can already produce supplies. I am not against importation because it is a must if you lack supply but reliance on importation is wrong,” Piñol pointed out.

“High priced pork will continue unless we come up with our food sufficiency program,” he said.

Currently, Piñol said they are offering cattle and livestock production programs, hi-breed coconut, avocado and other fruits, technology on silage making.

He further added that they are tapping the Provincial Agriculture Office on how to plant sugarcane with rice through an exchange program on how to plant sugarcane and rice./DGB, WDJ