A DAVAO City councilor has proposed implementing uniform food security programs across the city to strengthen efforts in ensuring food sustainability.
Second District Councilor Ralph Abella emphasized the need to establish rice mills within the city, which would be owned and managed by the local government. According to him, the plan involves setting up milling machines in pilot areas where rice fields are present.
Abella, who chairs the Committee on Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Food, explained that the city government would provide the necessary equipment, develop the areas, and offer fertilizers on loan to farmers. In return, the local government unit (LGU) would buy the farmers' produce, process it in the mills, and then sell the milled rice to barangays at regulated prices to ensure affordability and generate sustainable profit.
The councilor shared that the city government has already rented five hectares of land in Toril and is currently exploring the purchase of a 25-hectare property to establish an agricultural industrial zone as part of its food security initiatives.
“As of now, we will concentrate on the food security because not only that, we will also provide a nursery for propagating upland rice for the lumps,” he said during the Pulong-Pulong sa Dabawenyos on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Abella said that they are still in the process of determining the land areas, projected production volumes, and the overall capacity of the target locations.
He acknowledged that although specific areas have not yet been finalized, plans are already underway to pilot rice mills in the Second District, particularly in Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities such as Barangay Malabog and Barangay Malamba.
He expressed optimism that the rice mills would become operational within the year.
“Kung ma-submit na ang study sa city agri kung asa ibutang ang priority (Once the study is submitted to the city agriculture office, they will determine where to place the priority),” he said.
Abella also shared that in a recent discussion with Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, the mayor expressed support for the proposal to establish uniform food security programs across the city.
As part of these efforts, the city also plans to establish nurseries for cultivating high-value crops such as cacao, coffee, and durian. These will be located in Districts 1 and 2 and will serve as learning sites to help farmers learn how to propagate these crops.
Relying on rice from nearby provinces
The City Agriculturist Office (Cagro) focal person for rice production, Pablita Almador, stated on November 22, 2024, that local rice production cannot sustain Davao City for even a month; thus, it is heavily reliant on supplies from neighboring provinces. She said that the city has only 400 hectares of irrigated rice fields, with the largest area located in Calinan District.
Almador added that there are only 200 hectares of rain-fed rice fields in the city, with the largest areas for rice production being in the uplands of Paquibato District.
However, she emphasized that the production is still small, especially since there is only one planting cycle per year.
In 2023, the city’s rice production totaled 6,000 metric tons of fresh palay, with only 60 percent of that being harvested.
Almador explained that the city relies heavily on rice from Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao de Oro.
Cargo’s call
Cargro encouraged Dabawenyos to be RICEponsible and support local farmers to reduce rice waste, help local farmers, and try new rice varieties.
The office proposed to follow the A-B-K-D, which stands for A for Adlay, mais, saba, at iba pa ay ihalo sa kanin (Job’s tears, corn, and saba bananas should be mixed with rice); B for Brown rice ay kainin (eat brown rice); K for Kanin ay huwag sayangin (don’t waste rice); and D for Dapat bigas ng Pilipinas ang bilhin (buy rice from the Philippines).
Cagro urged restaurants to follow the half-rice ordinance, which requires all business establishments to offer half a cup of rice on their menu.
No food shortage in Davao City
Moreover, Duterte said during his third State of the City Address (Soca) on August 6, 2024, that the city has a thriving agricultural sector and has never experienced a food shortage.
He highlighted the distribution of 15,757 bags of agricultural essentials and yellow corn seeds to 1,322 farmers, covering approximately 800 hectares.
To ensure food security in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (Gida) within the city, the city has partnered with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to install an aquapark in Tapak, Paquibato District, to enhance fisheries productivity in Indigenous Communities (ICs).
Duterte said that they would continue to support local farmers, help them boost and sustain production, and connect them to the international market. RGP with CIO