Organic rice production and exports in Mindanao will be a priority in 2020, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) revealed.
Roadshows on International Organic Standards held in the town of Molave, Zamboanga del Sur last week were carried-out by MinDA’s Technical Working Group.
200 organic farmers from Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga del Sur participated the said event.
“These are the projects that we will be intensifying next year as this is also related to poverty reduction. Increasing farmers’ income will also go down to poverty reduction,” Undersecretary Janet M. Lopoz, MinDA executive director, mentioned.
“The development of the high-value organic rice production is also intended to cushion the impact of the Rice Tariffication Law, or Republic Act 11203, which removes restrictions on the volume of imported rice and instead uses tariffs to regulate entry,” Olie B. Dagala, MinDA Investment Promotions, International Relations, and Area Concerns director, reported.
Mr. Dagala also mentioned that after the rice tariffication law, farmers are being monitored and assessed whether farmers’ farmland will be abandoned or converted.
Moreover, it is an opportunity for Mindanao to export organic rice since a demand for the said rice is increasing in US.
Respectively, Papua New Guinea also conducted an inspection of the premium rice last September.
Sources: https://www.bworldonline.com/organic-rice-production-named-a-mindanao-priority-program/
https://www.bworldonline.com/mindanao-rice-farmers-sign-deals-to-supply-organic-premium-rice/
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