Govt vows to boost Mindanao potential
Credit to Author: EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ| Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 16:43:27 +0000
AGRICULTURE Secretary William Dar has vowed to further develop the agriculture industry in Mindanao as it continues to be a stable source of export quality commodities.
His commitment was made during his speech at the Hijo Central Development Launch in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, over the weekend.
Under his leadership, Dar said the Department of Agriculture (DA) will be implementing projects and programs to fully develop the potentials of Mindanao as the country’s food basket.
“We will work with the legislative body towards industrialization and mechanization of agriculture, and see that the vision is realized. It is important to note that top of our exports come from Mindanao,” he said.
“We will maximize your good soil and weather, and so a bigger portion of the DA funds will be proportioned here,” Dar added.
Mindanao supplies over 40 percent of the country’s food requirements and contributes to about 30 percent of the national food trade, data from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization showed.
In July this year, the newly-formed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) completed its 10-year Agriculture and Fisheries Master Plan needed to jumpstart the development of the agriculture sector in the region.
Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chief Emmanuel Piñol earlier said the program would require about P100 billion that would involve projects mainly for fisheries and agriculture.
He said additional fund assistance was needed for other infrastructure-related programs such as dredging of Rio Grande de Mindanao to free about 100 hectares of fertile land, as well as other irrigation facilities.
Earlier this month, Piñol also said the region will soon be exporting premium quality and organic rice to Papua New Guinea, with an initial shipment of 5,000 metric tons of special rice varieties, including RC-160, 7-Tonner, Banaybanay, Dinorado and Organic Rice.
Under the program, Piñol said the Papua New Guinea’s Central Province Government through its Economic Enterprise Office will import the Mindanao rice to be distributed in the province and other areas of the country.
The export of Mindanao’s premium rice to Papua New Guinea will not only assure the region’s rice farmers of a fair price for their produce but also help farmers from the adverse effects of massive rice importation with the implementation of Republic Act 11203 or “Rice Tariffication Law,” the MinDA chief added.
Under the new DA leadership, the “new thinking” strategy is being pushed to further boost the country’s agriculture sector. It aims to empower farmers, fishers, and private sectors to increase productivity and profitability through agricultural sustainability and resilience.