There he is! Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie, looking at those delicious Philippine Cavendish for export (image from Produce Report, producereport.com). Hungry? That is not the problem. The problem is that we Filipinos are exporting banana seedlings to neighboring Asians – seedlings, not fruits. Exporting genes, not hands. That is dangerous to our export health, so says Executive Director Stephen A Antig of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association, PBGEA (Carmelito Q Francisco, 26 August 2019, "DA Asks Banana Growers To Pay For Half Of Proposed R&D Center," BusinessWorld, bworldonline.com):
Mr Antig… flagged the export of banana seedlings to neighboring countries in Asia, which he said poses a threat to the country's competitiveness.
The PBGEA is right. I would not be surprised if he was told more by Manong Willie about being competitive in all of agriculture, being a Man of Science, or by the DA's newly appointed International Banana Man Agustin B Molina Jr, who came from Bioversity International. Manong Willie and Manong Gus have worked abroad for a great many years and know the ins and outs of research and development, R&D. Manong Gus is the one who for years worked on the R&D of the banana Panama disease in Mindanao and helped saved those delicious local Cavendish from extinction and brought them to distinction!
Manong Willie was in Davao looking at how to push banana R&D to keep PH competitive in the world.
From my pertinent essay of 2 years ago, "Science & The End Of The Banana. Part 4, What Are Our Top Bananas Doing?!" (15 November 2017, Gaia Con Gaia, blogspot.com), I quote myself:
According to the latest available data from FAO…, the Philippines was in 2014 #2 banana exporter in the world; in 2015, it was toppled to #4, and in 2016 it went down to #5: 1st Ecuador, 2nd Costa Rica, 3rd Guatemala, 4th Colombia, and 5th Philippines... We are slipping on our own banana peels!
So now our Two Top Bananas are working to make the PH Cavendish industry not only survive but thrive. Manong Willie is busy thinking of your bananas, in R&D, thinking of not only the PH banana being competitive, but the world's Top Banana.
I now quote myself from earlier ("William Dar's New Thinking For Agriculture: Now We Aim For The Golden Age!" 06 August 2019, Ani Kitá, ianikita.blogspot.com):
On the topic of New Thinking for Agriculture right in his first (paragraph) in the Manila Times (manilatimes.net), Mr Dar said:
Does the mere thought of doubling the income of smallholder farmers and fisherfolk sound too daunting or intimidating? ¶ From my standpoint, doubling the income of farmers is doable and should form the core for the "new thinking" to make the country's agriculture more productive, competitive and sustainable, and the country more food secure.
Manong Willie is busy thinking of PH Agriculture being more productive, more competitive, more sustainable, and more food secure. What else do you want from your Secretary of Agriculture?
Manong Willie knows more of your banana than you do!@517
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