Aggie-10 pushes call for One Bukidnon, One Agriculture agenda

MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon — Department of Agriculture – Region 10 (Aggie-10) Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan, pushes for One Bukidnon, One Agriculture agenda to bolster DA-local government units (LGUs) collaboration in implementing agricultural development programs in Bukidnon.

As a resource person during the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) – Bukidnon Chapter monthly meeting on September 23, Director Pacamalan urged the DA and LGUs to align agriculture priorities at the local level.

“We need to organize and respond to the immediate concerns for agricultural production for us to sustain the strategic role of Bukidnon as the food basket of Northern Mindanao and other regions,” he stressed.

He emphasized the DA’s need for strong LGU support, particularly through the municipal agriculture offices that LGUs frontline in working directly with farming communities.

“We need strong support from the local government, because at the end of the day, it is [food] security in every household in our municipality that is becoming an issue,” he stressed.

With local coordination seen as key to addressing agricultural production risks, Pacamalan called for town-specific preparations for the projected 2026–2027 El Niño.

He urged LGUs to identify areas with dependable water sources, work with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to irrigate rice and corn production areas, and establish silage and forage reserves for livestock ahead of the dry months.

Beyond climate-related risks, Director Pacamalan also underscored the need for timely market information to help farmers manage production and avoid losses when supply exceeds demand.

“We are developing a digital agricultural information system. Pinaagi niini, mahatagan nato ang mga mag-uuma og timely information aron ma-market nila ilang produce ug dili masayang,” Pacamalan said.

[We are developing a digital agricultural information system. Through this, we can provide farmers with timely information so they can market their produce and avoid wastage.]

Alongside production and marketing concerns, Director Pacamalan also highlighted the importance of maintaining the health of agricultural soils. He raised concerns over declining organic matter and increasing fertilizer requirements in some production areas, calling for the use of livestock waste as a potential organic input to improve soil condition, and raw material for alternative energy sources.

The discussion also extended to opportunities for indigenous peoples (IP) communities through the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP), with potential enterprises including coffee, cacao, bamboo, high-value crops, and livestock, to connect IP communities to wider production, processing, and market networks while supporting the protection of their ancestral lands.

With PhP129-billion in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (AFF) gross domestic product, 829,378-hectare land area, and 224,534 farmers and fisherfolk, Bukidnon is Northern Mindanao’s leading agricultural contributor. The Aggie-10 is poised to work closely with the LGUs to further harness Bukidnon’s agri-fishery potential to rev up the region’s agriculture economy.

Led by VMLP Chapter President Vice Mayor Ernie R. Devibar of Lantapan, the meeting also covered the League’s programs and updates, legislative concerns, and other matters of common interest, while providing an opportunity to exchange information with DA on agriculture-related concerns and identify areas for joint action to address farmers’ needs.

Aggie-10 Regional Technical Director for Operations Viralou L. Tuquib, DVM, FOD Chief Junel W. Ablanque, POC Chief Jamaica S. Docdoc, Rice Focal Person Jurrybe J. Lachica, Corn Alternate Focal Person Richard Apare, and other DA staff also present during the meeting.

Anchored on the government’s Masaganang Agrikultura vision, the Aggie-10 continues to champion agriculture stakeholders’ coordination to translate shared priorities into responsive programs to scale up local food production. # (JLPC)