ANGARA PROMOTES DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL CITRUS INDUSTRIES

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, chairman of the Congressional Commission on Science & Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), endorsed the National Citrus Development Program to aid the global competitiveness of the country's citrus industries.

Citrus production in the local market has flourished and has become economically important commodities in specific production areas in the country namely Davao, Southern Tagalog, Kalinga and especially in Nueva Vizcaya.

However an assessment report from the Food and Agriculture panel of COMSTE shows a relatively low average yield of citrus in the Philippines (15-20 tons/ha) compared to Western countries (40-60 tons/ha).

The program, together with the Nueva Vizcaya State University's Citrus Resources Research and Development Center, addressed the needs of the citrus industry of the Philippines through research and development focused on generating cost effective technologies for insect vector and disease management, continuing production of pathogen-free citrus planting materials, increase in volume and area with improved production and management systems, commercialization in potential areas of citrus species and cultivars possessing fruit qualities that meet local and international market standards, and improvement of post-harvest handling.

Angara said, "In order to modernize the agriculture sectors, these sectors must be transformed from a resource-based to a technology-based industry, which is what the National Citrus Development Program fosters."

The project has already started last June 2009 and is in its first phase, which is targeted to be completed in December 2015. The main project location is in the Nueva Vizcaya State University, Bayombong Campus.