Some 30 corn farmers of Catanauan and about 45 of the same from Mulanay, Quezon were urged to keep planting white corn as it has high domestic demand and large potential market. This happened during the market matching activity of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region IV-CALABARZON through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) on June 19 and on June 20, 2019, at Catanauan Municipal Hall and at Senior Citizens’ Building of the Municipal Government of Mulanay, respectively.

This activity connects buyers and suppliers of an agricultural commodity and helps them build a relationship and beneficial and sustainable marketing agreement to guarantee that a product is available at the right time, volume, quality, and price.

According to data shown by the office of the provincial agriculturist, Quezon is the major contributor of white corn in the region with 15,613 metric tons of production in 9,373 hectares of land and an average yield of 1.76 (as of 2017). White corn grows abundantly in 3rd district municipalities of the province including Catanauan and Mulanay wherein people mostly combine it with rice (rice-corn blend) and/or use it as an alternative to rice (white corn grits).

Talisay Farmers’ Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TAFAMPURCO) of San Andres was one of the invited buyers which requires dry and kernel corn for P12 per kilo for their corn grit product. With these requirements, corn farmers actively expressed their views and concerns. And towards the end of the activity, both parties made agreements on product volume, quality, price, delivery scheme, and the like.

AMAD also presented some other possible buyers of white corn in the region like Calamba Upland Farmers’ Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CUFAMCO).

In improving the production of corn in CALABARZON, it was also assured to the participants that the Regional Corn Program continuously implements programs and provides interventions to qualified and organized farmer’s groups in the fulfillment of the DA’s food stability and sufficiency agenda.

This activity was organized in coordination with agricultural program coordinating office, provincial agriculturist’s office, and respective municipal agriculture office. • ARC, DA-RAFIS