The ground preparation for the first-ever Mindanao Vegetable Derby starts next week as seed companies in partnership with local farmers display modern technology and quality seeds for vegetable farming in a season-long activity.
Eight major seeds production and distribution companies have listed up to join the first-ever Vegetable Derby to be held in Bukidnon’s IMTASULA Complex from August to December this year.
Four towns of Bukidnon, Impasugong, Talakag, Sumilao and Lantapan, comprise IMTASULA Comlex, the 50,000-hectare vegetable and high-value crops production region with an elevation of 1,400-meters Above Sea Level (ASL).
The participating seed companies are:
1. EastWest Seed Company
2. Allied Botanicals
3. Known-You Seeds of Taiwan
4. Harbest Agri
5. Greenseeds Corporation
6. Ramgo International Corp.
7. Pilipinas Kaneko Seed Company
8. Seedworks Philippines
Organic, natural and inorganic fertilizer companies are also expected to join in the demonstration but not the derby.
The participating companies in the MinDA Vegetable Derby will be given a maximum area of 2,000-square meters which they will use for a season-long demonstration farm.
They will also be asked to engage five (5) farmers who will be their partners in the production of vegetables using their seeds and technology.
Companies whose seeds will show outstanding performance will be given citations while outstanding farmers will be given trophies and cash prizes and declared champions in specific vegetable varieties.
The winners will be judged using the following criteria:
1. Highest production per area;
2. Outstanding quality of production;
3. Adherence to Good Agricultural Practices.
Products submitted for entry in the competition will also be tested to determine their adherence to the Minimum Residue Level of chemicals used in the production.
The awarding of trophies and cash prizes to the winners will be done at the end of the week-long Mindanao Vegetable Festival set Dec. 1 to 5 in Barangay Miarayon, Talakag, Bukidnon.
During the week-long festival, vegetable farmers’ groups and market vendors associations, including procurement officers of major supermarkets from other parts of Mindanao, including from Luzon and the Visayas, will be invited.
The Mindanao Vegetable Derby and Festival is an initiative of the Mindanao Development Authority aimed at addressing poverty in the agriculture sector, improving productivity and initiating the economy recovery of Mindanao.
Training on value-adding for the products from the IMTASULA Complex will also be conducted during the season-long activity, like teaching women to process Carrots into bottled juice or Cabbage into Kimchi.
The project is supported by the local government unit of Bukidnon, the Department of Agriculture Northern Mindanao Regional Office, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.
It will also be recommended for inclusion in the MINPAD RISE Project funded by the European Union.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
#touchgroundfeelthepulse!
(I took this video today showing the vegetables produced in Miarayon, Talakag showing large but poor quality Carrots.)
https://fb.watch/aLfbkjUDBO/
More Stories
Trump Presidency Boon To Philippine Agriculture
Mindanao Fruit Fest Scheduled Sept. 2025
DA, MinDA, LGU! MinDA Targets Tribal Areas For Highland Rice Farming