AGRICULTURE department in Northern Mindanao Director Lealyn Ramos announced the holding of the 10th Philippine National Corn Congress in Cagayan de Oro City next month.
Ramos said the congress is set to push for increased corn production and strengthen it through introducing new technology.
“Agriculture is science. You do not just throw the seeds to the soil. It requires scientific steps. We cannot stop Science. It is meant to develop and be used for many things, including agriculture. By using new technology, our corn production will increase as we need to double time for the upcoming integration,” DA Assistant Secretary Edilberto De Luna said during the opening of the Corn Technology Demonstration Field Tour and Farmers Field day at Aggie Complex, Manresa Farm on Monday.
De Luna personally graced the techno demo as 400 participants or farmers from Opol, Sumilao, Impasug-ong together with seed companies and staff were joining the techno demo.
Several discussions will also be brought out in the congress revolving on its theme, “Corn Farming in the Asean integration: Maximizing Opportunities,” trends and insights of the international market and also issues involving the corn industry in the Philippines.
“It is irresponsible to discourage corn because there are other potential crops. Among all regions, 1.8 million rely on corn for livelihood. There are 11 million directly employed in corn plantations. What will happen if there is no corn? Our livestock industry will be severely disabled and many other businesses,” Engr. Roger Navarro, president of PhilMaize said.
Food security
The experts revealed that average ages of farmers and agriculturists are now around 57 and 58 years old, which is why there is a need to encourage young Filipinos to tackle agricultural careers.
“Our computers will not feed us when food will be scarce, but our farmers will help us attain food security. The congress has invited high school and college students because we want them to appreciate agriculture and we want to present new technologies to them too that will make farming easier and productive,” Ramos added.
The government also stressed that for corn to survive in the Asean, it should improve productivity and the policies and programs of corn of the DA so that the farmers will survive. Such issues will be discussed further during the 10th Corn Congress.
Corn livelihood products
Exhibits and stalls of corn products such as corn coffee, roasted corn, corn bread and other commodities made of corn are displayed during the techno demo.
Recently, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Northern Mindanao approved P346,000 worth of combined roaster and single disk grinder under the Shared Service Facility (SSF) project to SRV Livelihood Association Inc. of Villanueva town in Misamis Oriental for their roasted corn.
The association sells roasted corn in different variants made from white corn used in substitute of coffee.
Such materials will be used in producing high quality fine roasted corn. Tea bag machines will also be acquired to make the packaging more neat and presentable.
The newly acquired technologies will benefit their livelihood completely, as it is seen to lessen production expenses but double production capacity. The new machine will also aid in their production of high quality roasted corn and help their product earn a name in the market.
De Luna is confident that corn production and livelihood will flourish in the Asean market as the crop has been established to help largely in attaining food security.