Cagayan de Oro City — The Department of Agriculture in Northern Mindanao (DA-Normin) remains committed to advancing and supporting the region’s agriculture sector through various programs and projects planned for 2025.

Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Pacamalan reaffirmed the agency's unwavering commitment to support local farmers during its radio program on Tuesday, in line with the policy thrusts of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.

“Our mandate remains unchanged, and our efforts remain grounded on fulfilling our country’s need for food security and sufficiency, particularly concerning staple foods such as rice, corn, and other crops,” Pacamalan said.

“Among the marching orders of President Marcos is to transform [the agriculture sector] as a local economic driver. We achieve this by directing our efforts to develop the region’s leading agricultural commodities, particularly coconut which remains a widely produced crop in Northern Mindanao,” the director added.

Pacamalan shared that the regional office is planning to establish coconut processing plants in the region’s five provinces to encourage competitive pricing for the commodity and boost the local economy, especially in major coconut-producing towns and barangays.

Recognizing promising market opportunities, the DA-Normin also reaffirmed its support for the production and marketing of coffee, cacao, bamboo, and high-value crops for food and industrial purposes through its banner programs and interventions.

“We are instructed by our Secretary to develop a coffee production area of at least 1,000 hectares in Northern Mindanao, as a response to the growing volume of coffee we import. Currently, about 80% of coffee in the Philippines is imported, and we see that investing in local coffee production will reduce that figure by 10 percent,” Pacamalan said.

Innovating Through Digitized Agriculture

To enhance farmer support, the DA-10, in collaboration with Provincial and Municipal agriculture offices, has pioneered a digitized agriculture information system in Region 10 over the past six months. The system enables the agency to monitor production data and provide targeted support in production, post-harvest, and marketing efforts.

Pacamalan emphasized that the agency aims to take on a more proactive approach in dealing with periods of oversupply by making use of data generated from the digitized system, which also informs the strategic provision of cold storage facilities in high-production areas.

“The primary goal of our digitization efforts is for us to be prepared during the harvest season, especially when there is more produce than previously anticipated. We will establish cold storage facilities in areas that were able to produce large volumes, to make sure it is properly stored,” Pacamalan said.

“In fact, we have nine cold storage facilities to be turned over in region 10, which further ensures our capacity to respond to oversupply in the harvest season, and prevent spoilage while we await for optimal market conditions to sell,” he added.

Expanding Farmer Support and Mechanization

Building on its major strides during the previous year, DA northern Mindanao is also set to continue its provision of farm machinery to local farmers, geared at increasing the country’s mechanization rate. It will also provide seeds, planting materials, and fertilizers to scale up the production of the region’s top agricultural crops while reducing costs.

Pacamalan urged the continued collaboration between the national and local governments, the private sector, and  stakeholders, citing the present administration’s strengthened resolve to intensify convergent efforts in achieving food security, increasing income, and realizing an inclusive agricultural and fisheries sector for the region and the country.