DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/28 December) — The City Council’s Committee on Agriculture will present to the City Planning and Development Office next month a proposal for the creation of an Upland Management Board that aims to help the city produce more in terms of agriculture as well as protect it from environmental damage.
Agriculture Committee chair Marissa Salvador Abella said local producers in the city need increased exposure to technical skills aside from being supported with production materials.
“We can’t just give farmers seedlings and solve our agricultural problems,” she said, adding the support should include trainings and technical skills development, including how to market their products.
Abella hopes the City Agriculturist’s Office would create a system where all products, including export output, be traced from source.
“This is for us to see the root of problems when they occur at any stage of the export process,” she said.
Abella said this system would allow farmers to trace which of their products have problems in terms of quality, and allow marketers to develop specific solutions whenever quality issues occur.
The councilor said the committee will be eyeing areas in Paquibato and Marilog as target areas where products from cacao and rubber, among other crops, could be planted.
Citing cacao as an example, she said the export market has always been there, but there is not enough output from farmers in the city.
“There are hectares and hectares in these areas that need planting, and we can use that to help farmers,” she said.
She noted that the proposal also aims to address environmental issues, as there are areas in Marilog and Paquibato that need reforestation. (MindaNews)