Even on a Sunday! MinDA CRAFTS MINDANAO FOOD SUPPLY, DEMAND MAP

Everyday is a working day for those who dream of making Mindanao a better place to live in.

Today, workers of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the private and business sector met in my farm house to finalize two very important programs.

The first is the establishment of a food positioning system for Mindanao provinces.

I issued a directive for the crafting of the Mindanao Food Supply and Demand Map indicating the products each province produces in excess and where these are needed.

When completed, a private group will provide the logistical support in repositioning the food supplies in areas where these are in short supply.

For example, Bukidnon’s vegetables could be brought to Zamboanga del Norte or Surigao del Norte while sea products from these fishing provinces could be repositioned in Bukidnon and Cotabato.

The program will be called MinFood, a concept which I attempted to implement with the crafting of the National Food Security Plan in 2018 but was overtaken by events.

It will create a self-sustaining supply and demand chain given the realities brought by the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Also today, Davao City-based Eng Seng Food Products and Don Bosco Multi-Purpose Cooperative, a pioneer in Organic Farming, agreed to collaborate in marketing Black, Red and Brown Organic Rice produced by farmers in Mindanao.

Eng Seng President John Tan said his company will buy organic rice produced by farmers who belong to the Mindanao Organic Rice Council, an organization initiated by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), at P25 per kilo dry.

Don Bosco will process and pack it while Eng Seng, with the support of MinDA, will market it.

This will ensure our organic rice farmers a ready market for their produce and at the same time, encourage others to shift to organic rice farming.

Also discussed with members of the Durian Industry Association of Davao were preparations for the coming fruit season with expected bountiful harvest f Durian and other fruits.

Plans for the MinDA Fruit Festival in nearby Visayas provinces will also be laid out by MinDA.

#GovernanceIsCommonSense!

#KungGustoMayParaan!

#LetsWalkTheTalk!

(Photos courtesy of Dr. Evelyn Zaldivar.)