The Vegetable Derby, originally initiated by the MinDA, aims to stimulate economic development, particularly through High-Value Crops Production. It was localized by the province of Agusan del Norte through its flagship program called Agusan Up to explore, focus, and build up potential areas for commercial vegetable growing in the whole province of Agusan del Norte. 

“Inspired by the initiatives of our neighboring regions, this MOU is not just a mere sheet of paper, the stakeholders are duty-bound to perform the tasks to alleviate the vegetable production and initiate an economic recovery in the agriculture sector of the province,” Committee Chair on Agriculture Vergilio Escasinas Jr. said.

Five (5) private seed companies participated such as East-West Seeds, Seedworks Philippines Inc., Allied Botanical Corporation, Pilipinas Kaneko Seed Company, and Ramgo International. Cited on the term of reference, these companies will provide the necessary seeds for the demonstration farm. 

DA – Caraga, in its end, will provide materials needed for the nursery, including concerns on irrigation, especially in the testing site. MinDa will be responsible for the sourcing of prizes for the duration of the derby. Moreover, the Province of Agusan del Norte, in its end, is responsible for providing logistics, labor, and support to the participating stakeholders. 

Agusan del Norte Governor Dale B. Corvera expressed his gratitude to the Department for its utmost support to its flagship program which greatly emphasizes agricultural development in the region such as its Agus 3Ps or Plant and Process for Prosperity. 

“We developed Agusan Up centering on our vision of rising Agusan del Norte as an Agri-Forest Province and Economic Processing Zone of Caraga by 2027, and through this Vegetable Derby, we will be able to explore potential areas for vegetable production so that our people will no longer have to source from other places,” Gov. Corvera said. 

The demo farm and/or sites of the Vegetable Derby has already been utilized by the seed companies to assess its agro-climatic conditions. Ten (10) commodities of high-value crops from different seed companies have been included for the pilot testing. Three months after its launching, a field day will be held to showcase the product of the competition. (Kent Warren H. Fugoso, DA-RAFIS13)