Priority Thrusts and Programs

in the USA

in the USA

Mindanao Development Authority Sec. Manny Pinol and Davao Del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib visited Houston, Texas And Los Angeles, California to promote Mindanao products and opportunities.

In Houston, Texas two (2) agribusiness companies Scott Seeds Company and Warner Seeds forged partnership with MinDA and Davao del Norte for agribusiness ventures in Mindanao.

The Scott Seeds Co. supports the implementation of the Mindanao Sorghum Development Program through its 25-metric ton of donated states which will be planted in some pilot areas in Davao Del Norte particularly Talaingod, and areas affected by fusarium disease, and in the provinces of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In LA, the MinDA delegation visited Seafood City Headquarters in Pomona California, one of the largest Filipino owned-company importing Filipino products and selling these at their 28 supermarkets in USA and Canada greatly for Fil-Am Communities. There is a demand and huge potentials for Philippine food and nutritional products sourced from Mindanao to the US export market.

Products with huge potential in the US are organic premium rice, young coconut water, bananas they mentioned the Golden Saba of Davao has large demand, Bangus, pompano fish, coffee, cacao, coconut based products such as coco milk or cream, grated coconut, coco sugar, purple yum, Lato seaweeds, fruits such as mango, durian, jackfruit, mangosteen, malunggay, turmeric even banana leaves are in demand, also nutritional products in powder form, among others.

MinDA will continue to link up with the US companies to increase Mindanao exports volume to the global market. The Philippine Consulate Consulate General Offices in Houston and LA had been instrumental in the success of the trade delegation, especially the support extended by Philippine Agri Attache in the US Dr. Josielyn Javellana and Trade Attaché Eric Elnar.

MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Pińol led the Mindanao delegation during the North Sulawesi - Mindanao Trade Mission and Business Networking Session held in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, October 28 to November 1, 2019.

Composed of more than forty (40) participants from private sectors and government agencies, the delegation conducted market potential scanning, institution-to-institution meetings, and partnership discussions with North Sulawesi government officials and business community, to strengthen and sustain socio-economic opportunities between these EAGA focus areas.

MinDA Accomplihsment Report 2019 | 20 Likewise, as part of the 4-day mission a Products Display Exhibit was mounted by MinDA, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-11 and the Philippine Consulate in Manado at the Manado Town Square (MANTOS) Mall, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The exhibit was aimed at providing the people of Manado the taste of Mindanao products.

Held in the biggest shopping center in the city, different products including fresh and processed fruits, food items, and fashion and home accessories, among others are being sold and displayed for locales.

The trade and business mission aimed to bring new partnerships between Mindanao and North Sulawesi in the areas of agribusiness, food and product processing, hotel accommodation, construction, and educational exchanges, and is expected to boost travel and tourism between the two areas in support to the newly-revived Davao-Manado air connectivity.

to sustain fruit festival

Davao City - In a bid to sustain the gains of the first and second MinDA Fruit Festival in Baguio City, MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol and Mayor Benjamin Magalong officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to sustain the fruits festival in Baguio.

The MOU signing held last September 27 in the city formally establishes the trading link for products of Mindanao and Cordillera.

MinDA Chief Piñol mentioned, “We are concretizing our agreement with the City government of Baguio. In exchange of our fruits in Mindanao, we will buy strawberries and other high value vegetables from them,” Piñol said.

Mayor Magalong, in a statement said that “an agreement between Baguio LGU and MinDA will formalize the barter trade of Mindanao and Cordillera to provide markets for the products of the two regions at much cheaper price”.

Speaking before the members of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), Secretary Piñol urged local executives to replicate the trading deal.

“This will provide Mindanao farmers sustainable markets for their produce and allow their constituents buy fruits at prices lower than the prevailing market price”, he said.

“If you are interested, you can link with MinDA. We will work as the facilitator of this LGU to LGU engagement. Through this direct link, we can eliminate the middlemen who ups the price and leaves no profit for the farmers” Piñol added after he noted some LGUs signifying willingness to host MinDA fruit festival in their respective areas.

“We do not have scarce food here. In fact, there are regions that produce commodities in excess of what they need. But due to lack of logistics, transport and access to markets, they could not sell it”, he said.

MinDA also made formal arrangements with airlines for regular cargo allocation at special freight rates; this reduces travel time and maintains quality of the perishable fruits.

The MinDA fruit festival is one of the major thrusts of MinDA which aims to encourage increased agricultural productivity and address poverty in the island-region.

Priority Thrusts

MinDA Fruit Festival

The initiative was implemented during fruit season in Mindanao last October 2019 where producers have significant surplus of fruits for local consumption. The fruit festival paved the way for market access of Mindanao farmers in Luzon and Visayas, created livelihood for the fruit vendors in the host cities, and opportunity for local consumers to buy Mindanao fruits at lower prices.

The first leg was hosted by Baguio City on August 24-25, followed by Lingayen, Pangasinan on September 7-9. The project aims to link the Mindanao fruit farmers with producers and consumers in Luzon and Visayas. Fruit festivals after initial staging of MinDA are now handled by the farmers and vendors themselves.

MinDA Tienda

The MinDA Tienda was introduced in the hardest hit quakeaffected areas in Davao del Sur and North Cotabato after a series of earthquakes occurred in Mindanao last October 2019.

It was primarily conceptualized to address the inordinate increase of prices in disaster-stricken areas, which left the affected victims difficulty to buy goods for daily needs.

The initiative was funded by private organizations where farmers, fishermen, and other traders sold their products at reasonable prices.

The first implementation of this project was organized in partnership with Local Government of Makilala last 6-7 November 2019. The second leg was conducted with Local Government Unit of Bansalan in partnership with NCCC subsidiaries such as Supermarket, Department Store, and Hardwaremaxx last 14-16 November 2019.

TADECO-Provincial Government of Davao del Norte

The Mindanao Development Authority facilitated the signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Tagum Agricultural Development Corporation, Inc. (TADECO) and the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte last 22 October 2019 in MinDA Office, Davao City ending the 19-month road rift involving the three contested roads inside the Davao Penal Farm.

The signing was participated in by Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib, TADECO Vice President Zeuss Vadil and Benhur Pantaleon representing BuCor Director General Gerald Bantag, was witnessed by MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Provincial Administrator Josie Jean Rabanos, Industrial-ANFLO Group President Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo, and Jacob Castro of Davao Prison and Penal Farm.

The MOA highlighted the bio-security and road access, particularly the re-opening of provincial roads for residents and workers to traverse the roads at the junctions of Balagunan, Bugtong Lubi and Tanglaw, all of Sto. Tomas town, without sacrificing the biosecurity protocols as tire dip and foot bath.

Secretary Piñol intervened per instruction of President Rodrigo and Senator Bong Go to come up with a win-win solution on the road rift.

Launching of Mindanao Water Supply Program

With the Secretary of Interior and Local Government, DBP President Emmanuel Herbosa and MinDA Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol formally launched the Mindanao Water Supply Program in Davao City. The objective of the program is to bring potable water to remote Mindanao villages, and also improve agricultural productivity through irrigation system.

As a headstart, a Chinese company, the Hangzhou Yatai Hydro Equipment Completing Co., Ltd., would soon install their solarpowered irrigation system prototype to Barangay New Panay, Tulunan and Barangay Bulakanon, Makilala. These two communities were selected as recipients of the said donations since they were the highly devastated areas during the recent earthquake in North Cotabato.

Mindanao Premium and Organic Rice Advocacy

To provide alternative farming options for Mindanao farmers and to take advantage of the growing global demand for organic rice, MinDA has initiated advocacy to promote organic rice farming and certification.

In partnership with various Local Government Units and Control Union, a third party organic rice international accrediting body, approximately two hundred (200) farmers benefitted of the said information and awareness drives from municipalities of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay, Molave in Zamboanga del Sur, as well cities of Kidapawan in North Cotabato and Valencia in Bukidnon.

A marketing deal was forged for export of unlimited volume of white, brown, black rice and the exotic Adlai rice to United States, between Subanen farmers of Zamboanga del Sur and a US-based marketing firm represented by Mr. Andrew Bolougne last 22 September 2019. This allows American consumers to have access to Mindanao’s organic rice.

Hogs Development Advocacy

MinDA organized the 1st Mindanao Hog Raisers Forum last 18 September in Grand Men Seng Hotel, Davao City. The activity is in response to the concerns of various hog raisers in the livestock production industry regarding the threat of entry of the African Swine Flu (ASF) in Mindanao.

The forum served as a platform for all the stakeholders to agree on efforts to prevent ASF’s possible entry into the Southern Philippines through the establishment of strict quarantine protocols and the involvement of the stakeholders, the local government units and the communities.

In partnership with Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry, National Meat Inspection Service, and Food and Drug Administration, MinDA has conducted series of consultation dialogues and information drive in different regions of Mindanao.

Surigao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, and General Santos City were the initial recipient areas of the conduct of the advocacy campaigns from November to December 2019. Approximately 600 participants benefitted from the activities.

Mindanao Development Authority

Old Davao Airport Terminal Old Davao Airport Road, Km. 9, Sasa, Davao City, Philippines

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