Land conversions ail Bukidnon farms

Bukidnon is losing its rice and corn farms at alarming rate because of the increasing expansion of banana, pineapple and sugarcane plantations, an agriculture official said.

Engr. Alson Quimba, Bukidnon provincial agriculture officer-in-charge, said the province “is still a staple food basket in Mindanao but if left unchecked, the fast expansion could affect food security”.

“The increase is below rapid rate but faster than gradual,” Quimba told MindaNews, saying that this was how fast the change in the conversion of the farms from the staple to cash crops. He said though that he could not provide the data yet as his office was still collating updated statistics.

Bukidnon grows corn, sugarcane, rice, vegetables and banana and pineapples. Read the full report on MindaNews.com.