DA-10 wraps up 2026 vegetable derby, bolsters effort for climate-smart farming

MALAYBALAY CITY, BUKIDNON – Through the collaboration of its Research Division, Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo (4K) Program, and High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP), the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) concluded its three-leg Vegetable Derby Harvest Festival and Farmers Forum on September 18 at the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex (NMACLRC), here.

Staged in three research stations of the DA-10 across the region, the derby showcased climate-smart vegetable production technologies under varying weather conditions, in line with the DA-10’s goal to scale up farmers’ productivity and profitability by climate-proofing their livelihood.

The activity brought together private seed, fertilizer, and agricultural input companies to upskill farmers in planting next generation vegetable varieties suited to the climatic and topographic condition in their communities.

Among the participating seed companies are the Ramgo International, Corp., Allied Botanical, Corp., East-West Seed Company, and Pilipinas Kaneko Seed, Corp. While the Sustainable Agro Solutions, Yara Fertilizers Philippines, Inc., BASF Philippines, Primera Agri Innovation, Corp., and NAC Enterprises took part in the derby as partner fertilizer and agricultural input companies.

Based on the commodity rankings recorded during the derby, East-West Seed Company placed first in six crops – cabbage, hot pepper, okra, stringbeans, ampalaya, and sweetcorn. Ramgo Seeds International, Corp. placed first in four crops – squash, lettuce, cauliflower, and Chinese cabbage, and was also marked “Best in Crop Stand” for its Chinese cabbage entry. The results reflected the rankings recorded for the participating varieties across the crops featured in the course of the derby.

This activity linked the seed companies and the farmers to champion viable vegetable production practices.

“The Vegetable Derby allows us to demonstrate the performance of our vegetable varieties across three stations and share practical solutions that can help farmers improve their crops, especially during challenging conditions,” said Joselito Coeme of East-West Seed Philippines.

According to Marnelly Ann P. Flores, DA-10 HVCDP Focal Person, the activity also served as an avenue for the DA and its private sector partners to present farming technologies and innovations that contribute to agricultural production, food security, and climate resiliency.

“This [derby] allows our private company partners to showcase their technologies because our shared goal is to advance agriculture, food security, and climate resiliency. The Vegetable Derby was conducted in response to the challenges brought by El Niño, and with the help of these private companies, we can gain ideas and information that can further develop our agriculture sector,” Flores said.

The 2026 Vegetable Derby Harvest Festival and Farmers Forum was earlier held at the DA-10’s research stations in Dangcagan, Bukidnon, and Claveria, Misamis Oriental as part of the agency’s heightened effort to mitigate the likely effects of the Super El Niño, projected to occur late this year until early 2027.

Through the “Para sa Masaganang Bagong Pilipinas” vision, DA-10 continues to facilitate collaboration among government, private sector partners, and farmers in promoting practical agricultural technologies and production practices that support food production and agricultural development in Northern Mindanao.# (NQA, Photo credits: AMBM)