Tissue Culture Laboratory
By : Ferdinand C. Cabiles
Kidapawan City
The Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhance Fund (ACEF) granted a P 15 Million financial assistance to RC Agribusiness Center for expansion and modernization of Banana Tissue Culture Production and Marketing Project.
Dr. Roger C. Chio, Regional Executive Director of Department of Agriculture, Regional Field Unit XI, Davao City witnessed the signing of the Loan Agreement during ceremonies conducted at Feliz Resort, Davao City . The ACEF funds were released in Agust and September 2007. According to Director Chio, the financial assistance to RC Agribusiness Center is intended for construction works and improvements of the project site, expansion of main laboratory building, office/training center, plant grow-out nursery, and water supply. The ACEF funds will also enable the proponent company to acquire additional tissue culture laboratory equipment to increase capacity and acquisition of hauling/transport vehicle.
Mr. Rudy S. Caoagdan, Proprietor of RC Agribusiness Center expressed his gratitude to the Department of Agriculture for the support to the project. “This will benefit the small banana farmers in the Province of Cotabato , through our expansion and implementation of a Plant –Now-Pay- Later (PNPL) program”. According to Mr. Caoagdan, the PNPL program of RC Agribusiness Center will focus on small farmers by providing them with Tissue Culture (TC) banana plantlets (cardava and lakatan) as well as technical support during plantation establishment, maintenance and market linkages. The farmers will pay for the TC plantlets after they have harvested their crop.
The Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) is a financing program implemented by the Department of Agriculture, through the leadership of Secretary Arthur C. Yap to modernize the country's agricultural sector. The program was created through the passage of Republic Act 8178 – An Act Replacing Quantitative Restrictions on Agricultural Products, Except Rice, with Tariffs, Creating the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF). ACEF consists of the in-quota tariffs collected from the importation of Minimum Access Volumes (MAVs) of agricultural product.
RC Agribusiness Center is a pioneering company in production of Tissue Culture (TC) banana plantlets in Region XII. The company was granted recognition by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the Province of Cotabato for its support to the development of the banana industry. The company is likewise supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) SET-UP Project and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) One Town , One Product (OTOP) Project.
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