By Ercel Maandig
Cagayan de Oro- The local chief executive of the only landlocked town of Misamis Oriental on Thursday reported to the Regional Development Council(RDC) Region 10 meeting here that Claveria is still the number one Agricultural producing town of the province.
Mayor Meraluna S. Abrogar said that her town remain as the food basket of Misamis Oriental despite of the growing number of Tourism related establishments that invested in the area.
Local agriculturists in the province afraid that rich farm products will be diminished due to land conversion from agricultural to business establishments for tourism related purposes.
Claveria is productive on farm products such as tomatoes, cabbage, Baguio beans,corn, belle peppers and Chayote(Sechium edule),but the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines(USTP)Claveria campus also developed mushroom culture.
Provincial Agricultural Research Office(PAGRO) head Dr.Benjamin Resma said that his department is always in closed coordination with the local executive of the town in order that agriculture will not be affected by the sprouting tourism development of the area.
The Department of Tourism Region 10 has also an intervention for the Agriculture industry of the town in order that it will not be affected by the recent situation and will develop “Farm Tourism” as alternative way for agriculture preservation and at the same time promote tourism.Regional Director Marie Ellaine Unchuan of DoT-10 said that her marketing department headed by John Baclig is now on thorough study for the identification of accredited farm tourism in the town that would preserved the farm products they produces abundantly.
Mayor Abrogar on the other hand gave an assurance to RDC that huge agricultural land that cultivated by farmers will not be converted for other purposes. The lady executive also announced that her town now produces huge harvest for Dragon Fruit that has a good market not only locally but domestically.
The present administration of the province is prioritizing the Agriculture industry.
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