Further development of Mindanao as food basket pushed

Mindanao is the country’s food basket, producing some two-thirds of corn, coconut and banana, and a quarter of rice supply. It also hosts industries of global excellence like bananas, pineapple, tuna, seaweeds and asparagus.

Moreover, with irrigation development of which Mindanao severely lags, compared to Luzon and Visayas, the one million tons annual imports of agri-food could be reversed in five years.

These observations were made by Alex T. Escaño, president of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc. (PCAFI), who said Mindanao accounts for over half of the country’s $2 billion in agri-food exports.

Should the irrigable areas in Mindanao become irrigated and supplied with good seeds, there will be no reason for importing rice and corn if Mindanao’s agriculture will be developed along the best practice and cost-effective methods," he said.

The continuing conflict in Mindanao impacts on agricultural development in the region and nation’s food security, the PCAFI president observed.

In another development, Escaño expressed concerned over what he described as the slow and small budgetary releases to the Department of Agriculture which has stalled vital programs and projects. "We want to be globally competitive, but how can we fight a battle with no ammunitions," he asked.

The PCAFI president also lauded Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo, Jr. for his desire to move the lagging sector faster. Faster decisions now at the DA and paper tracking is more organized, he said.