DA’s outstanding corn farmer is Kapampangan

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Outstanding achievers in the agriculture and fisheries sector in the region, including two Kapampangans, were named as this year’s regional winners of the prestigious Gawad Saka Awards of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a simple awarding ceremonies held at the provincial capitol grounds here over the weekend, DA Regional Director Redentor Gatus awarded the plagues to kabalens Noel Sunga and Arnel Santos for their valuable contribution in the development of agriculture in the country.

Sunga and Santos bagged the outstanding corn farmer award and the outstanding fisher folk award for the year 2010, respectively.

Sunga, a barangay captain of San Pablo, Magalang town, has been in corn farming for six years now.

Because of his remarkable record in the area of corn farming, Sunga is also the Best Magsasaka Siyentista of the Central Luzon Agricultural Resource and Research Development Consortium (Clarrdec) in December 2008 and presently, the Magsasaka Siyentista ng Pampanga.

Santos, on the other hand, was able to register amazing harvest results through innovative farming practices that he has implemented through the help of the DA.

Other awardees were Ricardo Buenaventura, Enrico Batungbakal, Ken Duron and Armanda Battad.

Buenaventura, who hails from Nueva Ecija, was named as the outstanding hybrid rice farmer in the region. Batungbakal and Duron, who are both from Zambales, won as the outstanding high value commercial crops (HVCC) farmer and outstanding young farmer, respectively.

Battad, who is from the province of Bataan, was adjudged as the region’s outstanding agri-entrepreneur.

Also awarded during the event are the top five performing municipalities on hybrid commercialization, which included the municipalities of Llanera, Talavera, San Antonio and the cities of Cabanatuan and Munoz all in Nueva Ecija province.

Gatus said the Gawad Saka is an annual search for outstanding achievers in agriculture and fisheries who represent the various stakeholders of the community – farmers, fisher folks, farm communities, scientists and organizations, as well as DA and local government employees.