M’danao farmers call for total approach to boost veggie sector

DAVAO CITY — In a bid to improve the quality and value of their vegetable crops, hundreds of farmers are advocating the implementation of a comprehensive strategic production zone (SPZ) plan, which aims to identify and then market competitive products from the region’s agricultural areas.

At the recent 2nd Southern Mindanao Vegetable Industry Conference, Vegetable Industry Council for Southern Mindanao (VICSMIN) incoming chairman Roger Gualberto spoke for the growers by proposing that economic infrastructure be a vital component of the SPZ plan. Stressing the importance of a more organized farmers group, he said growers should demand policy reforms to accelerate the sector’s development.

With the USAID-funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) program as co-organizer, the two-day activity discussed industry issues and strategies for local growers to capture a bigger share of international and domestic markets.

Growers are considering various options to establish the needed infrastructure, post harvest facilities and technologies to enhance their production, post production, and marketing practices. Currently, up to 40 percent of Southern Mindanao’s vegetable harvest goes to waste due to the inadequate facilities available for transporting or storing farmers’ produce.

For more advanced production practices, the group is pushing for better techno transfer services including establishment of more demo farms and better access to high quality seeds. VICSMIN members are also asking for the creation of a market information system to improve their linkages and access to both local and international buyers.

"We can produce high quality vegetables, there is no doubt about that. But we are suffering from lack of post harvest facilities such as farm to market roads and cold storage. Even our market access and linkages need improvement," Guaberto said. Tropical vegetables grown in the region include ampalaya, eggplant, ginger, okra and tomato. Asparagus, brocolli, carrots, cauliflower, potato, lettuce, and peppers comprise the semi temperate vegetables cultivated here.

Department of Agriculture 11 High Value Commercial Crops (HVCC) focal person Marilou Infante said vegetable farmers in the region have to face several production, post production and marketing challenges but are able to capitalize on favorable soil and climate, an organized farmers group and an existing research and development network.

Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo, in a speech delivered for him by HVCC program director Ricardo Villo at the congress, said the government is "exploring various modalities of marketing agreements geared towards vertical integration and horizontal expansion, and backward linkages between processors and producers through PLUS or the producer linkage with user scheme."

Lorenzo also encouraged the private sector to establish post harvest and processing facilities on a build-operate-own (BOO), build-lease-transfer (BLT) and rehabilitate-operate-transfer (ROT) schemes, with limited government support, as necessary.

Presidential Assistant for Mindanao and Mindanao Economic Development Council (Medco) chairman Jesus Dureza said: "Agriculture is our best bet for BIMP-EAGA. Hopefully, our vegetable industry can fully develop its potentials to further accelerate the economic recovery of Mindanao."

In 2002, Southern Mindanao produced a total of 124,656 metric tons of vegetables valued at P298 million. More than 20 percent, 25,512 metric tons was shipped outside the region.