DA-10 champions rice alternatives, showcases local crop-based innovations at Tinagboan Festival 2025

 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of Agriculture – Northern Mindanao (DA-NorMin) continues to champion rice alternatives on Filipino tables during the opening of the Tinagboan Festival 2025 today, August 8, at the Limketkai Rotunda, here.

With the theme “Functional Flavors: Unlocking Camote and Coconut Potential,” the festival celebrates Northern Mindanao’s food culture by spotlighting two locally grown crops—sweet potato (camote) and coconut—as viable alternatives to traditional staples and ingredients.

As the event’s keynote speaker, DA-NorMin Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan underscored the agency’s ongoing efforts to advance food innovation in the region.

“We are already conceptualizing food processing centers in the towns of Manolo Fortich and Claveria to transform crops like camote into viable staple alternatives,” said the agri executive head.

Pacamalan also assured the event’s partners and stakeholders of the DA-NorMin’s support in establishing a food processing complex.

“[Together] we must invest in crops like camote and coconut, because these are healthy options that can reshape our food system,” he added.

As one of the festival’s exhibitors, DA-NorMin showcases a variety of local products and other crop-based innovations such as lettuce chips, oyster mushroom chips, and coconut sugar. Festival goers may also avail themselves of free information materials on various agri commodities.

The Tinagboan Festival 2025 runs until August 10.# (BJCE)