Given the right infrastructure and a sound business environment, the President added, that the island-region will be a heavy partaker in propelling the growth and development of the country, thus, aggressively pursuing infrastructure projects in Mindanao.
“We have allocated funds to build structures to facilitate the transfer of goods and services, as well as enhance mobility and connectivity,” he said.
Citing key projects, Duterte revealed, that the Mindanao Railway System, the Panguil Bay Bridge and the Laguindingan Airport are in various stages of implementation.
To ensure that Mindanao can fulfill its role of being the food basket of the Philippines, he said, that the government lends a hand to agriculture.
“It is actively providing assistance in the production of high valued crops and the development of agri-products and marketing of its goods, among others,” the president noted.
Duterte also brought attention to the availability of the color-coded agri-fishery maps that will help farmers identify the most suitable crops for their farms, saying that this will be continuously improved with new
data and tools to provide more information to farmers.
Meanwhile, the president’s statements were early on supported by the presentation of Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture, in one of the breakout sessions lined-up during the conference, where she tackled the Role of the Agribusiness Industry in Mindanao in the ASEAN and Emerging Markets.
“According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Mindanao supplies over 40% of the country’s food requirements and that it contributes about 30% of the national food security,” the undersecretary reported.
The DA official also said that there are already existing and potential markets for Mindanao, particularly for cacao beans, pomelo, durian, organic rice, coconut and its by-products while target for export includes cacao, muscovado, sugar, turmeric and mangosteen.
Puyat also highlighted Mindanao’s logistics as a potent tool in the attainment of the abovesaid, comprising the international shipment port in Davao and its proximity to export markets such as the ASEAN market and other countries, namely: China, Korea and Japan.
Further, the undersecretary has stressed that the DA has also undertaken opportunities for enriching the agribiz sector through extending production support and product development, and marketing initiatives, under the tutelage of DA Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol.
With the mentioned systems in place, President Duterte, nonetheless emphasized, that it will entail more to promote business, trade and investment in Mindanao.
“Our efforts will be in vain if we cannot ensure stability and order, as well as secure just and lasting peace in the island, hence the government is intensifying the fight against illegal drugs, crime and corruption, as it creates a more enabling and nurturing environment in the island-region.
With your cooperation and our people’s support, I am confident that we will create a more prosperous and progressive Mindanao,” the president concluded.
With the theme “Emerging Opportunities, One Mindanao”, the three-day affair was undertaken through the synergistic efforts of the CDO Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc., Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Mindanao Development Authority, the city and provincial local government units of CDO and Misamis Oriental, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, among other groups.
With focus on the agribiz industry, the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) under the leadership of OIC-Regional Director Carlene C. Collado, served as one of the co-convenors. Heading the delegation on behalf of the regional director is Director III and Regional Technical Director Carmelita T. Bajarla, and Chedy V. Ansale, agribusiness and marketing assistance division chief. (JLOlson, DA-RFO 10)
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