Manila, Feb. 18 -- The local government of Dingras town in Ilocos Norte has donated close to 20 hectares of land to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

"The donation will undoubtedly benefit our farmers and other stakeholders not only in Ilocos Norte but also in the Ilocos Region," Medardo Pablo, chief of the Ilocos Norte Research and Extension Center, said in an interview on Tuesday.

Mayor Joefrey Saguid facilitated the lot donation which has a total land area of 19.64 hectares. A deed of donation was signed on Monday.

In exchange, the DA turned over a livestock hauling truck worth PHP3.5 million to the Dingras municipal government.

The hauling truck is part of the DA's Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery an...