Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has assured hog raisers of assistance from the Department of Agriculture to help boost swine production in the province.

This was disclosed by Albert R.T. Lim, president of the Negros Occidental Hog Raisers Association, who joined Yap in his meeting late Friday with representatives from the Alliance of Hog Raisers Association in Negros Occidental and the Negros Occidental Hog Breeders' Multi-purpose Cooperative.

Lim said the NOHBMC, which operates a feedmill in Brgy. Vista Alegre, Bacolod City, asked for financial assistance and Yap referred them to the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, which provides access to credit and financing for agricultural projects of small farmers. AHRANO, for its part, requested that weighing scales be set up in markets where they sell their hogs.

Ethanol corridor
plan ideal for Negros

Director Mario Marasigan of the Department of Energy said he welcomes the proposal of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to set up an ethanol corridor in Negros Island.

"Negros is an ideal place for ethanol production," Marasigan, who heads the Energy Utilization Management Bureau, said Friday at the sidelights of the Philippine Energy Plan Update Public Consultation. He said an ethanol corridor includes lands serving as plantation areas for fuel production with open access to road or rail networks.

These big areas are planted to ethanol feedstocks but not limited to sugarcane as corn and sweet sorghum can also be grown as sources of ethanol, Marasigan said.

W. Visayas employers
urged to hire PWDs

Labor Regional Director Crispin Dannug Jr. is urging employers to hire persons with disabilities to help them become self-sufficient and productive partners in society.

Dannug made the call at the employer's forum in line with the 29th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation celebration conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment in Iloilo City last week.

The celebration, which started July 17 and ends today, is themed "Kapag May Access, May Success."

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