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Development Problems / Issues
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Lack of technology inputs;
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Lack of farm-to-market roads;
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Lack of irrigation facilities;
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Lack of appropriate program on coastal resource
management;
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Absence of baseline data on agriculture;
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High alkaline content of soil resulting to low
productivity/poor production;
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Lack of post harvest facilities;
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Heavy siltation of riverbanks/shorelines;
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Land conversion/land reclassification;
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Destruction of marine ecosystem;
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Coastal reclamation;
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Low-lying areas are flood-prone
Goals/Objectives
Goal:Enhanced
Agricultural production through improved technology and
other support services on Crop Production, livestock/poultry
and fishery for the optimization of the city’s agricultural
lands.
Inspite of the industrialization thrust of Cotabato City,
agriculture remains a vital industry. It plays a very
critical role in supplying food to the city’s growing
population, providing raw materials to industries, jobs to
the labor force, capital and to some extent,
entrepreneurship and the needed dollar exchange. To perform
the above roles adequately and efficiently, the following
objectives for agriculture, livestock and aquaculture are
formulated:
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To increase crop, livestock, poultry and fishery
production, to lower the deficiency in food balance
particularly of food crops and poultry and reduce the
city’s dependence on food from external source;
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To explore the possibilities of producing other high-value
crops such as flowers and fruit bearing trees, that have
high potential foreign markets or that which serve as raw
materials for industries;
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To enhance the productivity of farmers and fisherfolks
through the establishment of appropriate infrastructure
facilities;
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To provide appropriate financial, material and technical
assistance to qualified beneficiaries, to develop the
manufacturing and agro-processing capability of the city
so that it can export processed or finished agricultural
products;
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To encourage community participation through bio-intensive
gardening and other related activities;
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To maximize the benefits that can be derived from the
city’s natural resources; and,
- To
provide and establish a baseline data for the city.
Strategies/Policies
To attain the stated objectives of the sector, the following
strategies/policies shall be implemented during the plan
period:
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Formulate a comprehensive agri-development plan for the
city;
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Provide supervised but adequate, easy and fast credit
facilities to small and medium-scale farmers for increased
production of food crops to attain a higher degree of
self-sufficiency in food while providing inputs to the raw
material requirements of the industries;
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Diffusion of new technology to improve and update the
farmer’s skills and management practices in
multi-cropping, inter-cropping, crop rotation, including
the use of natural fertilizers produced from CFA for
greater self-sufficiency in food supply and higher
production surplus;
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provide needed infrastructure facilities such as
farm-to-market roads, irrigation system and post harvest
facilities;
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Intensify local campaign against “hot meat” by closely
monitoring the entrance of meat carcasses in the public
market to ensure that such were slaughtered legally in the
city’s slaughterhouse;
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Encourage further growth of the livestock industry by
promoting the establishment of local facilities for feed
milling;
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Dispersal of new and improved varieties of seeds and
improved breeds of cattle, swine and poultry;
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Encourage cultivation of non-traditional and high-value
crops for both local & foreign market;
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Construction of artificial reefs for marine life
conservation and regulation of fishing practices at Illana
Bay; and
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Extensive utilization of swamplands, rice-fish culture and
the expansion of open sea fisheries.
Requirement Needs/Targets
On Agriculture:
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implementation of a comprehensive agri-development program
components;
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agricultural production & food security
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strengthening & capability building
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farm support program
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plant propagation
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agricultural subsidy program
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plant quarantine & plant diseases, insects control &
surveillance program
On Veterinary:
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animal/livestock production program
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animal/livestock health disease control program
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meat inspection and slaughterhouse operation
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responsible pet ownership program
On Aquaculture:
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coastal and inland environmental management plan of
Cotabato City
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fishery/hatchery program
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propagation of indigenous and local fish species
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support facilities/activities
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conservation, protection & propagation of endangered
species
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coastal industries & pollution control project
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fishery credit & insurance support program
Commerce and Trade
Profile
Cotabato City, resource-wise is agriculture based, but the
commerce and trade sector relatively grows faster than
agriculture or services sector. The labor productivity rate
was noted to be largest in the commerce and services sector.
Based on this, it could be said that the city has 3 key
sectors, commerce and trade, manufacturing and industry and
the agriculture sectors. At present, Cotabato City is one of
the largest market in the region through which selected
agricultural commodities are exported to Manila, Cebu and
nearby area and through which nearly all of the region’s
manufactured goods are imported from Manila. Nearly all
markets in the region deal through the city. Marketing is
noted to be highly selective and sporadic and does not
provide an institutionalized exchange network needed to
stimulate agricultural productivity in the rural areas,
thus, Cotabato City, in terms of commerce and trade; its
strategic location offers as a significant take-off
point/base for inter-regional commerce and trade related
activities.
The Central Business District of the city embraces an area
of 75.6830 hectares of barangays Pob. MB, 5 and 6 most of
these are commercial stores, banking institutions,
service-oriented establishments and restaurants and
eateries. There are two central markets the Mega market
which is located at the eastern portion of the city and the
old market at the western side. The city’s slaughterhouse is
located away from the market and is surrounded by
residences.
There is no centralized terminal which houses, buses or
jeeps and other public conveyances which cater to the
commuting public. At present, terminal services for people
going towards the south are at various location of the CBD
while those buses/jeeps bound for the Northern direction
utilize portions of land along Jose Lim Sr. Street and Don
Rufino Alonzo Street. There is a need to put-up one Terminal
Complex at barangay Rosary Heights 10 to serve all public
vehicles.
The
highest volume of cargoes carried by airline was registered
in the month of July, 1997 with a total of 176,175 kilograms
while the lowest volume of cargoes was in the month of
August, 1998 with only 52,711 kilograms brought about when
PAL stopped servicing its route for Cotabato City which
started last June 1998.
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