THE CITY Agriculturist’s Office (CAgrO) vowed to expand durian production to meet the terms of the trade agreement with China.
The agricultural trade deal between China and the Philippines is a $2 billion agreement involving coconut and durian products. The deal is said to gain $260 million or P14.3 billion in revenue for the country’s durian industry.
The first batch was shipped to China last week with 28 tons of durian from Davao and neighboring regions.
“Though before atong durian makaabot sa China but muagi sa laing lugar. Now, this is the first time nga diretso na atong durian sa China (Though our durian had reached China before, they had to go through other places first. This is the first time that our durian was exported directly to China),” CAgrO head Edgardo Haspe told reporters on Monday.
“Tuloy-tuloy na na siya. Could be within this week naa na pud lain na ipadala didto (This is only the beginning. Could be within this week, another batch will be exported),” he added.
The CAgrO will expand propagation nurseries in the city to meet the demand of the Chinese market. This ensures that high-quality planting materials will be distributed to durian farmers.
“Ang among opisina will continue expanding our nursery para maka-provide ta og good quality planting materials, especially for durian kay para ma-expand ang atong production areas para maabot nato ang commitment didto sa China (Our office will continue expanding our nursery in order to provide good quality planting materials, especially for durian so that we can expand our production areas and fulfill our commitment to China),” Haspe said.
Haspe urged durian farmers in the city to stick to the market’s standards by following good agricultural practices and ensuring that their products are free from pests, diseases, and harmful chemicals.
He added that the attractive price of durian in the Chinese market is an excellent incentive for farmers to meet the challenge of supplying 55,000 tons of durian to China and maintaining the export quality of their products.
“Amo gyud perminti i-remind ang atong mga farmers to stick to the guidelines and the policies and the good agricultural practices para ma-ensure nato nga quality gyud atong durian mapadala didto sa China (We always remind our farmers to stick to the guidelines and the policies and the good agricultural practices so we can ensure the quality of the durian we send to China),” he further said.
