The government has shifted gear towards the development of agriculture and fisheries programs to meet the demands for increasing food supply in the country.

In the 6th Annual Assembly of the League of Provinces of the Philippines at the Discovery Suites in Ortigas, Pasig City, the Agri-Kalikasan program was launched to sustain agricultural development program by adopting "organic-based agriculture to help local farmers.

A memorandum of partnership was also signed by the Department of Agriculture and the League of Provinces of the Philippines to promote organic-based farming with the preservation of the ecosystem in order attain long-term sustainability.

DA Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban said that this would be the starting point to help the farmers in line with the President's directive to reduce the expenses incurred by farmers in the planting of rice, corn and vegetables with the use of organic fertilizers.

According to Secretary Panganiban, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's has declared that organic farming must be promoted nationwide as a strategy for reducing the cost of production, and at the same time minimizing the dependence of farmers on oil-based fertilizers, which prices pose a major threat o the country's food security.

The government of Japan was very supportive with the efforts of the Philippine government and provided the DA with start-up funds to be drawn from 2KR funds managed by the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC), Panganiban said.

The DA said that the Tipid-Abono Program would serve as the initial activity for the DA's organic-based agriculture under the Agri-Kalikasan program, the secretary added.

Secretary Panganiban answered all questions raised by governors and local officials during the open forum that followed immediately after the briefing.

The many concerns of the LGU (local government units) are farm-to-market roads, transportation services, combating illegal fishing, irrigation and the conversion of idle lands into productive lands.