ROSALES—Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has tagged Pangasinan as one big sleeping giant in agriculture.

Yap, speaking during the opening of an eight-day Agricultural Exposition 2008 in barangay Carmen East, Rosales, said although Pangasinan is the biggest province in Region 1, it lags far behind in the production of rice, corn and vegetables over the years.

Pangasinan is not only the biggest province in the Ilocos Region but is also the biggest in the entire country and yet it is not producing much in rice, corn and vegetables unlike other provinces, Yap noted.

Yap said in the drive for food security, the province of Pangasinan must help produce the rice, corn and vegetables needed by the whole country in view of the looming world food crisis spurred by high cost of oil, fertilizers and transportation and climate change.

At the outset, Yap clarified that agriculture is the responsibility of the local government with the national government merely providing the support and direction.

He noted that under the administration of Governor Amado Espino Jr., more than P100 million was set aside for agriculture.

While in Pangasinan, Yap turned over two tractors for two farmers’ cooperatives, namely the San Gabriel II Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperatives in Bayambang and the Pangasinan Fertilizer Dealers Multi-Purpose Cooperative based in Rosales.

Noting that Espino is pro-agriculture, Yap announced that the DA is making available a flat-bed dryer for rice and corn farmers in the town of Sison and soon in the other rice and corn producing towns of the province.

He said Bayambang and Rosales are slated to each receive 200-ton capacity central corn dryer, each costing P50 million, from the National Agri-Business Corporation headed by Allan Javellana.

On vegetables, Yap called on the provincial government to cluster towns into zones so that they will not plant the same kind of vegetables all at the same time.

He said Metro Manila is in need of 20,000 metric metric tons of ampalaya, 98,000 metric tons of eggplants and 10 million kilos of tomatoes, including the off-season variety.

“In order to spur more vegetable production in Pangasinan, the DA will put up “bagsakan” centers in Sison, Asingan and Sual to serve farmers in clustered towns.

Yap noted that because of its long coastline and fishponds, the province of Pangasinan is performing well in fisheries, thus contributing much to Philippines’ 4.5 million metric tons of fish harvest which is the eighth biggest in the world.