With 22 days to go before the staging of the 1st Mindanao Adlai Production Forum in Valencia City, Bukidnon on June 28, is expected to have an overflowing attendance.
At least 500 farmers, mostly members of Tribal Communities in Bukidnon and North Cotabato, including those who registered on-line, have confirmed their attendance.
The Forum will be held at the Seventh Day Adventist Central Mindanao Mission in Valencia City.
Adlai Forum Organizing Committee Chairperson Marie Cris Miñao Culanag said Tribal Farmers will be admitted to the Forum for free.
All other participants will be asked to pay a Registration Fee of P150 which would cover food and snacks.
This is a dramatic response from farmers following the announcement that a Singapore-based company, World Food Chain, needs a sustained supply of Adlai of 2,000-metric monthly.
Adlai, also known as Job’s Tears (sn: Coix lacryma jobi) is a traditional grains crop grown mainly in Tribal areas in Mindanao.
This will be the first attempt to identify and organize farmers to set quality standards and ensure sustainable supply of the low-glycemic cereals.
Adlai has been produced by Tribal Farmers for generations but the absence of post-harvest facilities and market linkage had stunted the planting expansion.
This time, with a ready market, Farmers are willing to produce.
