Mati, Davao Oriental: "COCONUT CITY"

President Aquino at the People’s Organizations Congress in Davao City with Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Mati Mayor Michelle Denise Rabat and Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon.

Mati City, provincial capital of Davao Oriental, was recently awarded by President Aquino as the best performing local government unit in implementing an agricultural development project under the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Rural Development Program.

The city received a P2.5-million grant from DA-MRDP to improve its productivity in agricultural produce such as coconut, banana and corn.

Mati is regarded as a “coconut city” because of the 26,386 hectares of coconut plantations, one of the biggest in the country.

The city envisions itself as one of the centers of the coconut industry with the implementation of an integrated coconut farming system that will include virgin coconut oil, coco sugar and coco coir.

The city is a major producer in Mindanao of dessicated coconut, coconut coir and geotextile which is widely used in road projects to control soil erosion.

Since being declared a component city in 2007, Mati has racked up numerous citations from national government agencies for its quest for excellence in the various fields of governance.

more stories here: Mati cited for agriculture development