KIDAPAWAN CITY – Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza announced on Tuesday, March 18, that the province remains No. 1 in commodity production in Central Mindanao in 2024.
MENDOZA (FB)
Philippine Statistics Authority said data showed that the province was No. 1 in rice, cacao, mango, banana (lakatan and cardava), and rubber production on the regional level, followed by corn, coconut, oil palm, cassava, and coffee production.
Cotabato was No. 1 in mango, banana (lakatan and cardava), and rubber production in Mindanao last year. The province was third in rice and oil palm production and ninth in cacao.
The province remains No. 1 in banana (lakatan and cardava) and rubber production on the national level. Mango and oil palm were third and rice and cacao production were 10th.
Mendoza attributed the success of their commodity production to the collaborative efforts of the local and national governments, national government programs, and locally funded interventions for farmers.
“We have been prioritizing the agricultural sector during our tenure. We believe that promoting sustainable agriculture ensures food security and long-term environmental health, supports local economies, conserves natural resources, and fosters resilient farming practices,” Mendoza said.
She said that they have collaborated with the Department of Agriculture on regional and national levels to boost production yields and farmers’ earnings.
As a result of such collaboration, Mendoza said the province had the lowest poverty incidence rate at 18 percent and 5.6 percent lower compared to the 2018 and 2021 estimates.
Mendoza said the provincial government distributed certified palay seeds, inorganic seeds, hybrid corn seeds, Adlai seeds, organic fertilizers, cassava farm inputs, and two Adlai thresher to over 80,000 beneficiaries to increase the rice and other cereal production.
She said high-value crop farmers received a P48-million assistance to enhance production. Mendoza added that the provincial government organized an irrigators’ association forum with a P222,900 fund and training programs for cereal commodities funded with P469,740.
Cotabato introduced the Rice Revolution Program (RRP), a convergence initiative built on convergence, collaboration, and cooperation principles. The program will benefit 7,000 pilot farmers and pools resources from the provincial government, municipalities, and DA-12.
“In line with the program, each hectare of farmland received a total of six sacks of fertilizer – two sacks each from the provincial government, municipal government, and DA-12,” Mendoza said.
She said the DA-Philippine Rice Institute distributed quality rice seeds as part of the convergence. At the same time, the National Food Authority committed to purchasing a portion of the beneficiaries’ harvests to ensure stable demand and boost production rates.
Mendoza said the province’s Serbisyong Totoo Convergence Program continues to innovate and expand its support for rice farmers and among their key initiatives is the Palay Marketing Assistance for Legislators and Local Government Units (PALLGU) launched in 2023.
She said that the PALLGU’s mechanism aims to purchase farmers’ rice at a higher price, adding P1 to P2 per kilo on top of the existing support price set by the NFA, which is P16 on the wet classification of rice and P18 on the dry classification of rice.
According to the provincial government’s PALLGU data on unmilled rice, the local government’s counterpart will add P2 for both classifications of rice and another P2 from the provincial counterpart, bringing the total price for wet rice to P20 and P22 for dry rice.
Mendoza said she believes North Cotabato solidified its status as a leader in agricultural production through the provincial government’s programs and fostered a more resilient and prosperous farming community.