KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 19 October) – Maguindanao del Sur is keen on developing an integrated farming system, with the production of Wagyu beef as its centerpiece program.
Former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol revealed this development following a meeting last week with Mayor Nathaniel Midtimbang of Datu Anggal Midtimbang town, where sorghum and soybeans pilot production areas would be established to support the province’s Wagyu cattle production program.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (MAFF), Wagyu, which literally means Japanese beef, is “a breed of cattle unique to Japan and can also be said to be part of Japan’s heritage.”
“The unrivaled quality and taste of Wagyu has been recognized around the world,” the MAFF said, adding that Wagyu is known for its “extremely tender, melt-in-the-mouth quality” and its “sweet, full-bodied aroma known as ‘wagyuko’ or beef aroma.”
Piñol said Midtimbang sought his help in crafting an agriculture program that would turn Maguindanao del Sur from a former conflict area into a food production zone.
Piñol, also former governor of North Cotabato province, said he has started crafting the agricultural development blueprint for Maguindanao del Sur, which also includes corn farming as well as free-range chicken and goat production, for presentation to the Maguindanao del Sur provincial government headed by Governor Datu Ali Midtimbang, the mayor’s father.
“The production of Wagyu halal beef, along with halal chevon, has been identified as the banner program of the province,” Piñol said in a Facebook post Saturday.
According to the 2024 data from the Bureau of Animal Industry, the Philippines imported around 204 million metric tons of beef with an estimated value of P60 billion.
Piñol projected the cost of importing beef would rise due to the increasing world beef prices and the devaluation of the peso against the US dollar, suggesting the “best course of action” is to raise more cattle locally and produce the beef needed by the country.
The technology for breeding and raising cattle in small confined areas is already available and several local companies are already producing silage and feed mix for cattle, he said.
Piñol noted that Maguindanao del Sur has the potential to develop an integrated farming system given its vast and fertile lands ideal for corn, sorghum and soybeans production.
He added that the three cash crops could pave the way for the development of the cattle and goat industries in the area.
Midtimbang, also the president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines – Maguindanao del Sur chapter, approached Piñol to help his governor-father improve the province’s economy and the lives of its people.
“Sabi ko kay Ama na kung walang pagbabago na mangyayari sa tatlong taon na governor siya, wala kaming karapatan na humingi ng suporta ng mga tao sa darating na eleksyon (I told my father that if there’s no significant changes in his three years as governor, we have no right to ask the support of the people in the next election),” Piñol quoted the mayor as saying.
Last Friday, the younger Midtimbang and his team visited Great Arch Farm in Polomolok, South Cotabato to see the herd of Wagyu raised and bred in the facility, indicating their eagerness to foray into cattle production.
Pinol also announced that Secretary Carlito Galvez of the Office of Presidential Adviser on Peace, Unity and Reconciliation has expressed support to the Maguindanao del Sur Integrated Farming System designed to turn the former battlefield into a major food production area.
Galvez proposed the inclusion of areas covered by the base commands of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and former members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the integrated farming system program of the province, Piñol said after a meeting Friday with Galvez.
“It will be a great milestone in the peace process if we succeed in transforming former rebel camps into Food Production Zones where former combatants join us in the fight against hunger,” Galvez told Piñol.
“This is the best way to institutionalize peace programs because I believe that peace starts in a family which has food on the table three times a day,” he added. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
