Agusan del Sur Gov. Santiago Cane Jr. bared that as they have already given their commitment to the Agsurnons to serve, they will continue to serve and with the help of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the chances of failure are not big, and will continue with what they are doing because first and foremost, they are in public service, and they are there to help the people, not their selves.
In a press conference with ACIAR officials held at the sidelines of the Farmers’ Forum on Rubber-based Farming Technologies on May 24, 2024 at the D.O. Plaza Sports Complex covered court in Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Gov. Cane said their number one concern is the welfare of the people and politics is only secondary. He said they will continue doing what they are doing until everybody will benefit from the fruits of their labor because they owe their oath to the people they serve.
According to Dr. James Quilty, ACIAR Manager for Research, they are glad Agusan del Sur is now free from being among the top 20 poorest provinces in the country because of livelihood and agriculture and that it is an inspiring story while aiming for improvement because he said he is not contented with the exit from the infamous list, but he said they will be happier if the province will be on top of progressive provinces and he believes that Agusan del Sur has set an example for the rest of the Philippines. He also declared that the commitment of the leaders has brought the province where it is now and it is inspiring for them to be partners. He added that with the investments for the soil, the province will become more resilient and will benefit from a profitable cropping system.
On her part, ACIAR Chief Executive Officer Professor Wendy Umberger said that one thing that she praises the province in the pursuit of eradicating poverty is the capacity building of its people in which the government invested strongly in partnership with the Australian government. She added they are committing on continuing with capacity building programs which build up its human capabilities and bring them back to the province to lead the soil laboratory to invest back to agriculture to raise the province up.
Prof. Umberger also said agriculture can be a huge driver of the economy but people that have skills on the latest innovations and the latest understanding of management techniques are needed and that is what the Agusan del Sur government is doing in a true partnership with the Australian government and the DOST- PCCRD. What they are really pleased to see, Prof. Umberger stated, is the investment of the provincial government in the soil laboratory project because they really care for their people and are wanting to see that poverty is eradicated through sustainable agriculture so they really commend PGAS, while being proud as partners.
According to Gov. Cane, the soil laboratory that is now undergoing construction within the D.O. Plaza Government Center will be operational in October 2025, and that is when the provincial government can estimate how long will the province test the soils within its territory. The laboratory can process 50 to 60 soil samples a day and Gov. Cane said maybe it will take months or even years to test all the soils in Agusan del Sur.
