Lanao del Norte is rich in agricultural and fisheries resources. The problem is that although the province is very peaceful, there is that persistent perception by outsiders that the province is war-torn like some other places in southern Mindanao.

This wrong perception has somehow affected the progress in agriculture in this part of Mindanao. Gov. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo, the youthful provincial executive (29 years old), is doing his best to erase that perception so that investors will go to his province.

The province is a major rice producer in Mindanao. It has 15,000 hectares of irrigated and upland rice farms that produce relatively high yields. However, most of the harvested grains, 60 to 70 percent, is bought by outsiders. What the governor would like to happen is that the grains should be milled right in Lanao del Norte and the byproducts used for the manufacture of animal feeds. That would provide more income and employment for the farmers and local entrepreneurs.

The locally manufactured feeds could enhance livestock and poultry production in the province.

Fortunately, a grains processing center funded by the Department of Agriculture and the local government is under way. That will provide the farmers a place where their harvests could be processed into products of higher quality which could command better prices. There are also two other grains processing centers under way fully financed by the provincial and municipal governments.

The One Town One Product (OTOP) program is also being implemented now. And the various products of the different towns were showcased in an agri-fair during the weeklong celebration of the 50th anniversary of Lanao del Norte. Tubod, the capital town, is known as the banana capital of the province. No less than 27 varieties of banana are found in the town. Of course, the commercially-produced varieties are cardaba and lakatan. These are shipped to other commercial centers like Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and others.

The cardaba is made into banana chips and other preparations.

Of course, Lanao del Norte produces a lot of seafoods, particularly crabs and prawns. The crab capital of the province is the town of Lala where some 3,000 hectares of fishponds are devoted to crabs and prawns. For several eyars now, Lala has been staging the yearly Alimango Festival initiated by Mayor Santiago Bontilao about nine years ago. This is held every March 22, the foundation anniversary of the town.

More about the agricultural projects in Lanao in our future writings.