Search on for alternative crops

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) through the National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) together with DA RFU 8, the local government of Northern Samar and San Miguel Foods, Inc., sealed recently a memorandum of agreement (MOA), to intensify the collaborative efforts to help attain DA’s goal of achieving rice sufficiency by 2013.

The MOA identified Samar Island as the pilot site of the collaborative project due to its rank as still among the more depressed provinces in spite of its rich natural resources and being the biggest island in the country.

Picked as alternative commodities are the aromatic upland rice grown on the island and cassava crop. Traditionally, the island province produces upland rice called “Baysilanon”. It is a tasty variety that emits a fragrant smell when cooked. The island also produces cassava which is in great demand by feed millers.

Some 20 hectares of idle lands have been cleared and made available for the initial cassava project in the municipality of Calbiga, Northern Samar.

The project also identified the site for expansion of the already existing areas planted to upland rice. The project hopes to develop up to 2,500 hectares to cassava and 500 more hectares for upland rice.

Honesto Baniqued, executive vice president and COO of Nabcor, said the project seeks to mobilize production effort from the current self sufficiency level of upland rice and cassava to a surplus commercial scale supply chain, “The key to this is the converging of investment/funds from various government agencies in partnership with cooperatives, small farmers and institutional buyers,” Baniqued said.

This project will be replicated in other depressed areas of the country to generate jobs and to ease the lives of the small farmers and fisherfolks.