On January 9, 2023, Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel De Mesa called for a special meeting with the Regional Executive Directors (REDs) and Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) officials to discuss plans for the export project.
This is in line with the result of the recent state visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to China, wherein he secured a USD2-billion fruit export deal with the Chinese government.
Following the agreement, DA will be preparing for the expansion of durian production in the country to meet the demands of the Chinese market for fresh durians.
During the meeting, Undersecretary Panganiban directed the concerned REDs to identify the potential areas for expansion and formulate the necessary work and financial plans to sustain the durian export. ### (photos by Ardy Tompong, DA-AFID)
