THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said its Cagayan Valley regional office and the Ilagan City government mounted an investment mission to Thailand to seek modernization opportunities for the region’s corn and dairy industries.
In a statement on Thursday, the department said that DTI Region II officials and representatives from Ilagan City, the capital of Isabela province, “explored further mechanization and development opportunities for the corn industry.
“The itinerary included visits to private companies and government-operated facilities in Thailand which employ advanced machinery and export-quality corn products,” the DTI said.
“This visit aimed to assess the feasibility of integrating Thai technologies into Ilagan City’s existing infrastructure,” it added.
Ilagan City produces 155.77 million kilograms of corn per season, representing 2.1% of the country’s output and 13.9% of Isabela province’s.
“With 33% of its land dedicated to agriculture, the city government is actively pursuing initiatives to transform corn production into a sustainable and lucrative enterprise for its residents,” the DTI said.
The delegation visited Thailand’s National Corn and Sorghum Research and Development Center at Kasetsart University.
It also visited the Thai Danish Dairy Farm, operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Cooperative Farming Promotion Organization.
The delegation also visited the KU Beef and River Kwai meat and corn processing facilities, to investigate how to increase production in Region II.
“The visit builds on previous initiatives, including DTI Region II’s visit to the Hualam Collective Farm in 2022. This encouraged the DTI to form a technical working group and explore opportunities in export-quality corn silage production in Ilagan City,” the DTI said. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
