ECHAGUE, ISABELA- Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary, Hon. William D. Dar has graced the celebration of 41 st Anniversary of the Cagayan Valley Agriculture and Aquatic Resources Research and Development (CVAARRD) consortium this morning (December 12).

Celebration kicked-off with the inauguration of three (3) new Research and Development Centers that were funded by the DA- Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), with the DA Secretary leading the
ceremony.

The R&D facilities would make ISU the front of research initiatives in the region, as it would be housing the Cagayan Valley Cacao Development Center; Cagayan Valley Cattle Artificial Insemination Research and Training Center; and the Climate Change R&D Center Support Facility.

In an interview, Secretary Dar emphasized the importance of academic institutions in the advancement of knowledge and other innovative discoveries.

He said these can be utilized by DA towards community empowerment, thus expressing DA to continually support the establishment of facilities that would accommodate research undertakings. With this, the Secretary congratulated the consortium and the University as well, for the progresses made especially in the R&D sector. He says, ISU remains one of the strongest [academic] partners. In his speech, the Secretary encouraged the consortium to work with the DA and lined-agencies “to be part of the solution” to problems faced by the country, as DA flags platforms that tackle agriculture
concerns.

Meanwhile, University President and Chairman of CVAARRD Consortium, Dr. Ricmar Aquino affirmed that the consortium would continue to work for the welfare of community. He said, “ating pa[la]lakasin ang ating pagbubuklod-buklod at pag-ibayuhin ang pananaliksik sa mga makabago, epektibong pamamaraan, at teknolohiya ng pagsasaka”.

Dr. Aquino believes “[ang] mga magsasaka at mangingisda ay maituturing din na bayani”, thus the need of extensive commitment to boost their economic status. “Mas malaking ani at mas malaking kita tungo sa pag-unlad ng ating bansa”, he said.

CVAARRD Consortium is a conglomerate of 19 national government agencies and academic institutions that focuses on research and development engagements in the Cagayan Valley.