THE push for Mindanao's golden crops -- coconut, cacao, coffee, cassava, corn and rice -- to attain food self-sufficiency for the country and tapping global opportunities for the Filipino farmers only has bright prospects awaiting it.
rDirector Olie Dagala, director for Investment Promotions and Public Affairs of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda), said these crops offer opportunities for inclusive growth, particularly among communities involved in the production and supply chain.
"There must be stronger efforts to move deliberately toward nontraditional high-value crops, with corresponding greater value-adding through high-end processing, if we want Mindanao to continuously play an active role in the agri trade industry both nationally and internationally," he said in a speech last Friday, September 23, during the opening of the Davao Agri-Trade Expo (Date) 2016 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premier, Davao City.
He added that by promoting the golden crops, "we move far beyond just securing markets but also ensuring the continuous livelihood of the people especially the farmers."
Dagala said that agriculture and agri-based industries will, in no doubt, shape Mindanao's socioeconomic development in the next 10 to 20 years.
"These sectors will become the prime economic movers of the island-region and we need to strike a balance between large plantations agriculture and smallholder farming to deliver social inclusiveness and attain environmental sustainability," he said.
Also, the Minda director stressed the importance of harnessing the opportunities hanging in the air brought by organic farming and halal food production "as the expanding components of Mindanao's agriculture sector has an inherent suitability to these components especially that many of Mindanao's population adhere to halal lifestyle, and that the region is currently emerging as the country's new hub for organic farming."
He cited that in the recently concluded Sabah International Expo, majority of our Mindanao participants are producers of Mindanao organic products such as coco sugar, corn coffee, and chocolates.
Similarly, the huge and growing lslamic market in Asia and the Middle East also provides opportunities for Halal industries, especially among our producers in the Bangsamoro areas.
Also, in a bid to further strengthen Mindanao's key products, Minda and its partners initiated the Mindanao Collective Trademark or MCT, a system aimed to improve the competitiveness of Mindanao's products by aligning with internationally recognized voluntary standards.
"The move is designed to guarantee sound management practices, traceability and sustainability of production procedures and products that come from Mindanao. It will also promote greater diversity and encourage value-adding among the region's top agricultural products," he said.
It is but apparent that Mindanao's economy is agriculture driven providing immense opportunities for socioeconomic growth, particularly that Mindanao is considered as the country' s premier food supplier.