A KOREAN-funded public-private program aims to help empower small-time durian farmers in Davao City through a pilot three-year project beginning this year.

Spearheaded by CAMP International Center for Asian Mission for the Poor, the project “Sustainable Agricultural Environment Establishment through Durian Producer Cooperative Organization in Mindanao, Philippines” aims to help farmers produce quality durian for the local market and for the Korean market in the future.

CAMP country coordinator Cho Buyoung said they also aim to organize the farmers and develop a market where the farmers and their products can create a profit.

“The program is to establish a sustainable agriculture environment through durian producer cooperatives in Davao City. We are looking at the agricultural part, environmental part, and social part to make a value chain for durian production,” Buyong said during a media forum on March 29.

Farmers group Unorka Mindanao Inc. said they’ve gathered farmers more than 1,000 farmers with a total of around 1,000 hectares of durian farms from four barangays in Davao City namely Barangays Manuel Guianga, Sirib, Tamayong, and Wangan.

“Depende karon sa dagan sa among consultation with farmers kung kinsa ang muuban kay dili man tanan muuban. Ang uban gipa-finance na ang ilang farm, ang uban gikompra na, so kato lang ready na ang among dalhon ani na proyekto (We are having a consultation witht he farmers to determined who wants to join the project),” Unorka program coordinator, Roni Buenaventura, said.

Aside from fresh durian, frozen durian and other processed by-products will be marketed to Luzon. In the future, they aim to reach the export market since Boyoung said there is a demand for durian in Korea.

“Import and export is a long-term plan. Aside from empowering the farmers and skill training, we will start with the local market first like in Luzon and Mindanao,” CAMP president Chulyong Lee said.

“Our main target is to empower farmers and then develop the market together with other stakeholders. Maybe we can be the bridge between the public sector from Korea and also the private sector,” Buyong added.

The project has a total three-year budget of US$1.3 million.

The Korean International Cooperation Group with CAMP and the Mindanao Development Authority officially inked the partnership last March 30, 2023. ICM

Source: Iona Finlay C. Mendoza – SunStar | April 4, 2023