In line with the constant pursuit of a more developed Philippine Agriculture, Department of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol graced two separate events in Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental and in Cagayan de Oro City on November 27 and 28 respectively.

Piñol was at the 7th Agri-Aqua Day during the first day of his two-leg Biyaheng Bukid engagement. During the event, themed: “Climate smart agriculture towards a resillent and sustainable farming and fishing for food security and sustsinability”, the agri chief gave assurance of the government’s commitment to continue to support the food production sector of the province.

As such, he committed P100 million (M) for the province next year to be used for agri-fishery improvement projects. He also awarded various farming and fishing implements.

“Let us not fear changes. We cannot expect change if we keep doing the same things,” Piñol said.

In his message, the Secretary encouraged farmers to switch to hybrid rice seeds to improve yield.

“We are nearing rice self-sufficiency. I actually believe that we have already achieved it. I am just waiting for confirmation from Philippine Statistics Authority,” he added after announcing that rice production already reached 19.4M metric tons for the year—an all time high for the country.

On November 28, Piñol attended the 19th Mango Congress at the Grand Caprice in Cagayan de Oro City. Themed “The Magic 20 Productivity”, the event seeks to increase the yield of Mango from 4.3 to 20 metric tons per hectare within five years.

During the event, the agri chief urged the participants to finish the crafting of a 5-year mango roadmap to have sturdy guidelines that industry stakeholders will follow. Piñol also called for the establishment of a Philippine Mango Institute that will focus on the improvement of the said commodity.

“Let us cease the opportunities. There are many mangoes in the world but the Philippine Mango is the sweetest and has distinct taste and aroma,” Piñol added. ### (Carlos Cezar Baldosa, DA-AFID)