AS FRUIT supply is unusually lacking in this year's Kadayawan Festival, local food industry is calling for the convergence of concerned national government agencies in coming up with new researches regarding climate change adaptation of fruits and crops.
Committee on Food and Agriculture head Councilor Marissa Abella, during Durian Festival Launch last Friday at SM Lanang Premier, said the country is already behind agricultural rehabilitation upgrades as compared to other countries whose crops can now sustain the effects of the climate change.
"I already talked to Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and other local government agencies about the need of new researches," Abella said.
Aside from the decreasing durian supply, she said mango industry in the country also has declining production from some one million tons of mangos from last year's first and second quarters, down to only 480,000 tons this year.
Abella said she attended a mango forum in Pangasinan last month, in which 600 people attended exceeding 300 expected attendees. She added that the high number of attendees implied that the issue of low fruit production due to climate change has really affected the lives of the people in the industry.
"As we ate the durians earlier here in the festival, the durians are not delicious as before and the varieties are limited. Even with mangosteens, lanzones, and rambutan - there is no abundance," she added.
As the first day of the Kadayawan week starts on Monday, Abella said most of the fruit sellers in the city will be sourcing out fruit supplies from other provinces in the region.
She added that if government agencies will start crafting innovations and development regarding the climate change adaptation of fruits and crops in the country at the soonest time, the fruit supply in next year's Kadayawan festival will become abundant again.
"Fruit rehabilitation will only be for seven months according to DA," Abella said.