BUKIDNON TOWNS VOW TO EMBRACE ENVI-FRIENDLY AGRICULTURE

DAVAO CITY – Four vegetable-producing towns in Bukidnon have pledged to embrace well-planned market-oriented agriculture, which will give premium to environmental protection for sustainability, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Tuesday.

Located near the Kitanglad and Kalatungan mountain ranges of Bukidnon where the headwaters of major river systems in Mindanao are situated, the four towns belong to the so-called IMTASULA Complex (Impasugong, Talakag, Sumilao, and Lantapan).

In a forum organized by MinDA on Monday, Mayor Ernie Deviber of Lantapan, Mayor Vergito Factura of Talakag, Mayor Jose Antonio Villo of Sumilao, and Mayor Anthony Uy of Impasugong all agreed to the crafting of a master plan for agricultural development and environmental protection.

Piñol said the four mayors welcomed MinDA’s proposal for market-oriented agriculture where production would be guided by the demands and requirements of the market.

“During the meeting yesterday (Monday), MinDA also proposed the establishment of two farmers’ trading posts – one to serve Sumilao and Impasugong and another to serve Lantapan and Talakag – where farmers could deliver their products and also buy farm inputs,” he said.

An initial funding of PHP200,000 was pledged by MinDA for the geo-mapping of the four towns to identify critical watershed areas to be protected, rivers, and streams as sources of water, production areas, and proposed access roads.

The geo-mapping will be conducted by the technical staff of MinDA, most of whom came from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and they will start first week of July.

The first output will be presented to the IMTASULA Council by the second week of July.

“The draft master plan is expected to be completed by the end of July and will be presented to MinDA’s funding partners and line agencies,” Piñol said. During the forum, he said all four town mayors received hundreds of Dao seedlings personally donated by Piñol.

“At the closing of the half-day forum, I exhorted the mayors and the farmer leaders present to plant the Dao seedlings and nurture them to become the symbol of our commitment to promote well-balanced agriculture, which aims to produce sufficient food and safeguard the environment for the next generation, as well,” he said.