Potato is a very popular product in the Philippines.
Department of Agriculture (DA) and Universal Robina Corp. (URC), Philippines, signed a project program worth 5 million Philippine pesos aimed at developing the potato industry in the country.
Universal Robina Corporation is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the Philippines.
Last Friday, during a ceremonial planting of potatoes in the Filipino village of Balutakai, Secretary of State Emmanuel Pignol said that as part of the partnership, URC will provide high-quality Granola seeds imported from Canada.
Pignol noted that the Ministry of Agriculture will take control of the program and the communication of local potato growers with the URC in order to create a more sustainable and science-based market for the regional potato industry.
“Experts from the URC will teach our farmers the correct way to plant potatoes, and during the harvest, the company will check the quality of its products and buy it if it meets their standards,” he added.
The program also aims to help farmers gain access to resources such as quality seeds and fertilizers, training and market opportunities.
In 2017, the demand for table potatoes in the country reached 380 metric tons, while local production was only 333 metric tons. This indicates a huge 116 percent shortage of local supplies.
In the same year, the Philippines imported 121 tons of pre-processed french fries, equivalent to 652 metric tons of fresh potatoes.
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