Filipino Industry Implements Sustainable Potato Program

The Miarayon Highland Farmers Association in the Philippines has entered the Universal Robina Corporation (URC)’s Sustainable Potato Program earlier this year and is now reaping the benefits, reports the Business Mirror.

Under the initiative, which complements the Department of Agriculture (DA)’s High Value Crops Development Program - URC is said to have provided free table potato seeds of the granola variety imported from Prince Edward Island in Canada. A strategic partnership between DA and the private sector, the program also provides farmers with access to training, research and development to help increase their productivity and yield.

Due to all these efforts, during the most recent harvest season, Miarayon farmers were able to harvest around 250,000 metric tons (MT) of table potatoes from more than 5,000 seeds per hectare.

Aside from the farmers in Miarayon, seven other cooperatives from Bukidon, Benguet, Mountain Province, and Devo were able to receive potato seeds under the program.

According to the URC’s President and CEO Irwin C. Lee, who was cited by the report, the partnership with the DA has allowed the local industry to see growth and sustainable development, specifically in the acceleration of the potato farming communities’ economic, social and environmental benefits.

Since one of the program’s long-term goals is to help farmers produce their own seeds, the DA will continue providing training for farmers so they can become more self-reliant in producing a steady supply of seeds in the long run.

The potato industry is key to a stronger overall agricultural sector in the Philippines. In 2017, the country’s demand for table potatoes reached 380,333 metric tons. The same year, the country produced only 116,783 metric tons, 69% short of the country’s potato demand.