Manny Piñol
The Department of Agriculture is looking for ways to convert the lahar-covered portions of Pampanga into vegetable production hubs, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Thursday.
The idea to build vegetable-producing greenhouses in the area came after poultry farmers from Pampanga sought help disposing chicken excrement after transporting poultry and its byproducts was recently banned due to the avian flu outbreak, Piñol said.
"The chicken dung could be processed into fertilizer and the lahar-covered area could be transformed into a vegetable-production area using the greenhouse technology like how they do in the desert areas of Israel," Piñol said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page.
"Solar-powered irrigation systems could be installed in the area estimated to be about 5,000 hectares to provide water to the green houses," he added.
The agriculture chief said poultry and fertilizer experts were expected to come up with "a proposal in one week."