Lumads, agri-business in joint farm ventures
Davao City councilor Conrado Baluran said tribal communities are being encouraged to enter into joint ventures with large business to spur farm productivity in the city’s hinterlands.
This is part of our campaign to help indigenous people convert their ancestral lands into productive uses, said Baluran, chair of the council committee on agriculture.
Baluran appeared at the city council Media Forum yesterday to discuss efforts by his committee to increase farm production as prices of basic commodities continue to increase.
We are already talking with the tribal councils and some businessmen to enter into joint ventures, he said. Most lands in farflung districts remain idle for lack of capital by the natives to engage into large-scale farming. The ventures would have business providing capital and the natives sharing in the profits, said Baluran.
Under the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) tribal holders holding title to ancestral domain may lease their lands for business ventures with the consent of the tribal communities.
Meanwhile, Baluran said he and city agriculturist Rocelio Tabay are mapping out a strategy to encourage farmers Calinan, Tugbok and Baguio to plant rice to backstop rice supply. He said only 981 hectares are planted to rice in the three barangays known as the city’s rice bowl. Our target is to increase the hectarage to 1,500 hectares next year he said.
Filed under: Business, ancestral domain, davao city, tribal | Tagged: ancestral domain, conrado baluran, indigenous people, tribal people
