DAVAO City Acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has signed Executive Order (EO) No. 16, series of 2025, institutionalizing the City Agricultural and Fishery Council (CAFC) to strengthen private sector participation in agriculture and fishery development.
Issued on September 23, the EO seeks to improve the well-being of farmers and fisherfolk by helping them raise incomes, improve living conditions, and maximize their role in the local economy.
"The City Government of Davao has given the highest priority to agricultural development to achieve equitable distribution of benefits and opportunities and to enable farmers, fishermen, and the rural population to maximize their contributions to the local economy," the order states.
The EO cites Presidential EO No. 116, which created the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC); Republic Act 8435 or the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 (AFMA); and several Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) circulars as its legal basis.
Functions and structure
The CAFC will act as a consultative body to the City Agriculturist’s Office (CAgrO) and a policy-making arm in preparing and approving agricultural and fishery development plans.
It will be led by an executive committee composed of private sector representatives serving as chair, vice chair, treasurer, and auditor. Government representatives will serve as co-chairpersons, alongside sectoral committees for identified agri-fishery sectors.
The council will also include representatives from city-wide, youth, and women’s organizations. District-level councils will be formed, with members acting as sector spokespersons within the CAFC.
Barangay Agricultural and Fishery Councils (BAFCs) will be organized in coastal and upland areas, while eight municipal agricultural districts: Marilog, Calinan, Baguio, Tugbok, Toril, Talomo, Buhangin-Bunawan, and Paquibato, will each set up their own Municipal Agricultural and Fishery Councils (MAFCs).
Funding will come from the City Government’s annual budget for the City Agriculturist’s Office.
Fishery sector
CAgrO reported that as of June 2025, Davao City produced 408.86 metric tons of tilapia and hito fingerlings, along with 390 metric tons from mariculture and 665 metric tons from municipal fishing.
Aquaculture remains stable under Project Lawa, which set up 30 sites in 2024, benefiting 1,500 individuals. Sixteen more sites were added this year, reaching about 800 beneficiaries.
As of August 2025, the city had 1,499 registered fisherfolk, 854 motorized bancas, 108 non-motorized bancas, and 962 fishing boat operators.
Agricultural sector
While the city has no consolidated data on the number of farmers, many farmlands, particularly those managed by Indigenous Communities, are in far-flung areas. Smaller-scale farmers also operate across the city.
CAgrO earlier admitted that local rice production cannot sustain the city for even a month. Davao City has only 400 hectares of irrigated rice fields and 200 hectares of rain-fed areas, mostly in Calinan and Paquibato Districts.
In 2023, the city produced 6,000 metric tons of fresh palay, of which only 60 percent was harvested. The city continues to rely on rice supplies from Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao de Oro.
No food shortage
In his 2024 State of the City Address, Mayor Duterte assured that Davao City has never experienced a food shortage. He cited the distribution of 15,757 bags of agricultural essentials and yellow corn seeds to 1,322 farmers covering 800 hectares.
To secure food supply in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, the city partnered with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Bfar) to establish an aquapark in Tapak, Paquibato District, aimed at boosting fisheries productivity in Indigenous Communities.
Duterte said the city will continue supporting local farmers, helping them boost production, sustain livelihoods, and gain access to international markets. RGP