DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. commended the Provincial Government of North Cotabato, led by Governor Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza, for its push to become a rice self-sufficient province.
In a message delivered by DA-12 Regional Director Roberto T. Perales during the opening of the Yaman ng Cotabato: Travel and Trade Expo on August 26, held alongside the Kalivungan Festival 2025, Laurel lauded the province, partner agencies, and Cotabateños for organizing the first-ever Harvest Festival under the Cotabato Rice Revolution Program.
"This milestone marks the province's strong steps toward rice self-sufficiency and stability in the local food supply," Laurel's message read.
The DA chief also highlighted recent projects in Cotabato, including a ₱35.99-million mango processing facility in Midsayap, turned over to the Cotabato Mango Producers’ Cooperative under the agency’s Rural Development Project. The facility, he said, will empower local growers to compete in both domestic and global markets.
Laurel further reported the groundbreaking of a ₱107-million, 6.11-kilometer farm-to-market road from Barangay Manobisa to Sitio Mabato and Sitio Timodos in Magpet under the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project. The new road is expected to improve mobility, market access, and livelihood opportunities for farmers and Indigenous communities.
Through the Special Area for Agricultural Development Program, the DA will also continue supporting community-based enterprises and poultry projects in the towns of Arakan and Antipas.
“These achievements remind us that shared efforts bring us closer to building a Masaganang Bagong Pilipinas. The Kalivungan Festival itself shows how culture and agriculture are deeply connected, both rooted in the spirit of abundance and community,” Laurel added.
Meanwhile, Gov. Taliño-Mendoza led the opening of the Kalivungan Festival 2025, which also marked North Cotabato’s 111th founding anniversary. The governor said the theme—111 years: Malasakit at Serbisyong Totoo, Diwang Kalivungan, Diwang Cotabato—reflects the unity and aspirations of Cotabateños.
"For us, agriculture and tourism are drivers of economic development, and we are happy because in the latest intervention, DA-12 extended to the province an additional vehicle, for the quarantine, the disinfection truck," she said. CEA