THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has set aside P200 million to establish the National Seed Technology Park, which is expected to help boost crops production, next year.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar made the pronouncement following the 2019 National Seed Summit. Dar said available and accessible good-quality and certified seeds are important in increasing the country’s agricultural production.
Inspired by the Andhra Pradesh State Mega Seed Park in India, Dar said the seed technology park is envisioned as a business proposition or an inclusive agribusiness opportunity that is not limited to research or educational purposes only.
“We have been doing research all these years. However, if we compare our total factor productivity with other Asean countries, [the Philippines] is there at the middle,” he said in a statement.
“Many of the appropriate or relevant outputs of research do not reach the countryside,” Dar added.
The DA chief said talks with potential partners are ongoing and funds have already been allocated to kick-start the project next year.
“We will invite all the key players in the seed industry, be it private, multinational, or local. This will be in one area, maybe national center in Luzon with branches in Visayas and Mindanao,” said Dar.
According to Dar, the National Seed Technology Park will gather the key players in the seed industry in an area of at least 50 hectares.
“They can set up not only research there, but even facilities for drying, processing and packaging. Complete value chain, that’s the whole idea,” he added.
The project will be supported by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), National Seed Industry Council (NSIC), and the Philippine Seed Industry Association Inc.
The agriculture secretary said the establishment of a national seed technology park is part of the DA’s initiative to develop the farm sector, particularly the crops subsector.
The crops subsector has been buoying the country’s farm sector in recent years. In the third quarter, it accounted for nearly half of agricultural output in the third quarter, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In its latest report, the PSA said the crops subsector accounted for 45.19 percent of total agricultural output and grew by an annualized rate of 2.01 percent in July to September.