Agriculture, not guns, to end Mindanao war

Agriculture, instead of guns, would bring peace to restive Mindanao.

Agriculture officials said that making Mindanao the country’s food basket would help solve the decades-old conflict in the region, which has prevented its development.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said the region could boost the country’s crop production because of its fertile lands and lack of typhoons.

Alcala said rice crops in Mindanao could help offset the losses brought by typhoons in Luzon, where much of rice and vegetables for Metro Manila come from. “The palay crops are growing well there,” he said.

Dante de Lima, the Department of Agriculture official in charge of rice crops, said the DA believes that the region’s development is crucial in attaining the goal of making the Philippines rice sufficient by 2013.

“This is part of the plan to become resilient to climate change. Because typhoons do not go there, this could be our reserve food bowl,” he said.

Hostilities between government forces and rebels in the predominantly Muslim region have practically brought development in Mindanao to a standstill.

Of the 14 poorest provinces in the country, eight are located in Mindanao, data from the National Statistics Coordination Board said.

Antonio Tiu, chief executive of publicly-listed AgriNurture Inc., said large-scale agriculture investment and development in Mindanao might put a stop to hostilities in the region.

Food security, he said, might discourage people from a life of crime. “If you are well-fed, why become a kidnapper or a rebel?” Tiu said in a recent media briefing.

At present, Mindanao produces 30 percent of the country’s total rice output. It is also a major producer of tuna, sardines, and seaweeds.

Rice producing provinces in Mindanao include North and South Cotabato, the Agusan provinces, and the volatile Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.