DA-10 braces local agri sector as ‘economic driver’ in 2025

 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) remains committed to advance and support the interests of the region’s agriculture sector through its various programs and projects for the year 2025.

In an episode of Usapang Agrikultura aired on January 6 via Radyo Pilipinas 1 DXIM, DA-10 Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan reiterated the agency’s unwavering commitment to support local farmers, in accordance with the policy thrusts of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., and Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.

“Our mandate remains unchanged, and our efforts remain grounded on fulfilling our country’s need for food security and sufficiency, particularly concerning staple foods such as rice, corn, and other crops,” Pacamalan said.

“Among the marching orders of President Marcos is to transform [the agriculture sector] as a local economic driver. We achieve this by directing our efforts to develop the region’s leading agricultural commodities, particularly coconut which remains a widely produced crop in Northern Mindanao,” the director added.

Relative to said crop, RED Pacamalan expressed that DA-10 eyes the establishment of coconut processing plants in the region’s five provinces, in an effort to spur competitive prices for said commodity, thereby driving local economy, particularly in major coconut-producing towns and barangays.

Cognizant of its promising market opportunities, the NorMin agri dep’t also reassured its support for the production and marketing of coffee, cacao, bamboo, and high-value crops for food and industrial purposes, through its existing banner programs and interventions.

“We are instructed by our Secretary to develop a coffee production area of at least 1,000 hectares in Northern Mindanao, as a response to the growing volume of coffee we import. Currently, about 80% of coffee in the Philippines is imported, and we see that investing in local coffee production will reduce that figure by 10 percent,” Pacamalan said.

Innovating on current practices to better support local farmers, the agri chief exec said that the DA-10, in collaboration with the Provincial and Municipal agriculture offices here, has pioneered a digitized agriculture information system in region 10 during the past six months, through which the agency has been able to generate and monitor agri production data pertinent to the provision of appropriate production, post-harvest, and marketing support.

Pacamalan emphasized that the agency aims to take on a more ‘proactive’ approach in dealing with periods of oversupply by making use of data generated from the digitized system, which also informs the strategic provision of cold storage facilities in high-production areas.

“The primary goal of our digitization efforts is for us to be prepared during the harvest season, especially when there is more produce than previously anticipated. We establish cold storage facilities in areas that were able to produce large volumes, to make sure it is properly stored,” Pacamalan said.

“In fact, we have nine cold storage facilities to be turned over in region 10, which further ensures our capacity to respond to oversupply in the harvest season, and prevent spoilage while we await for optimal market conditions to sell,” the director added.

Building on its major strides during the previous year, DA-10 is also set to continue its provision of farm machinery to local farmers, geared at increasing the country’s mechanization rate; as well as seeds, planting materials, and fertilizers, thereby scaling up the production of the region’s top agricultural crops while reducing costs in production.

In closing, RED Pacamalan urged the continued collaboration between the national and local governments, the private sector, and all sector stakeholders, citing the present administration’s strengthened resolve to intensify convergent efforts in achieving food security, increasing income, and realizing an inclusive agricultural and fisheries sector for the region and the country.# (GDA)