The Department of Agriculture (DA) vowed to improve the organic farming landscape in Northern Mindanao as part of its food security initiatives.

During Tuesday’s Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas session, DA-Region 10 Executive Director Jose Apollo Pacamalan said two farms in the region have been certified under the participatory system for organic crop cultivation initiatives.

“We are working on improving the capacity of our farmers to engage in organic farming. We also started with different inputs so they can produce organic feeds for their livestock or organic fertilizer,” he said.

In addition to organic farming, he said DA-10 is positioning the region to produce crops by volume and nutritional value.

To do this, he said farm-to-market production must be upgraded through mechanization.

Under the eight-point agenda for agricultural development of DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Pacamalan said DA-10 remains consistent in implementing strategic agricultural interventions to scale up the region’s agriculture sector.

DA-10 is also developing other commodities, such as coconut and bamboo, to be the next “champion products” of the region, he said.

Corn production

Meanwhile, Northern Mindanao still ranks as the second most productive region for corn as its sufficiency achieved 144.2 percent in 2023, with a surplus of 466,717 metric tons.

Based on data collected last month, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, and Lanao Del Norte are the top three corn-producing provinces in Region 10.

Misamis Oriental province, on the other hand, was the most severely affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

Pacamalan said the recent El Niño had taken a toll on the region’s rice and corn production, with losses reaching PHP8.8 billion.

To enhance corn productivity, DA-10 will distribute 418,600 kilograms of corn seeds to farmers, benefiting around 23,132 of them.

It also distributed 2,210,000 kilograms of fertilizers to farmers as a subsidy from the national government. (PNA)