Friday, March 28, 2025

Local

Bukidnon implements P25K minimum annual land rental per hectare

1

Bukidnon

Share this post?

MALAYBALAY CITY (Mar. 03) – Governor Jose Ma. R. Zubiri Jr. has announced that effective this month of March, the Provincial Government of Bukidnon (PGB) will begin implementing the P25,000 minimum annual rental for all agricultural lands in the province that are leased by banana and pineapple plantation entities.

The Governor conveyed the information through a Facebook post this week from the Capitol’s Public Affairs and Information Assistance (PAIA) Division.

Gov. Zubiri is basing the newly approved “Agricultural Rental Law 2020 of the Province of Bukidnon.”

Zubiri said those with contracts will amend the rental agreement by following the new rates of not less than P25,000 per year. 

He also encouraged the landowners to come to his office for assistance should they met problems with it.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Bukidnon recently passed the amended version of the proposed ordinance No. 11-2019 (25th SP). Fixing the minimum rental rates for all agricultural lands in the province that are leased by banana and pineapple plantation entities, also known as “The Agricultural Rental Law 2020 of the Province of Bukidnon.”

The Ordinance authored by all SP Members covers all agricultural companies, whether operated as sole proprietors, partnerships, or corporations that are engaged in the business of pineapple or banana in the province.

All subsisting contracts with a rental base below P25,000 shall be deemed amended upon the effectivity of the Ordinance but shall cover only the unexpired term of the contract.

Any agricultural plantation firms undertaking business in the province without complying with the prescribed minimum rental rate shall be recommended for non-issuance of local business permits, revocation of its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), and be declared persona non grata.

The Provincial Agriculture Office is the lead agency in implementing the ordinance. This is in collaboration with the Municipal and City Agriculture’s Office in the province. It shall likewise act as a monitoring body and shall render a report of violations to the office of the Governor and the SP.  

Engr. Alson Quimba, Provincial Agriculture Officer, manifested earlier that the minimum rental rate of P25,000 is just enough. And that beyond that amount, the landowners of other crops might be tempted to lease their lands to banana and pineapple plantation firms, thus, endangering the stability of food security.

In a joint committee report of the committees on laws, and rules and privileges, banana and pineapple firms Unifrutti Tropical Philippines, Inc., Manupali-Agri-Development Corp. (MKADC), Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Ventures, Inc. (MKAVI), Dole Philippines, Inc., Del Monte Fresh Produce (Phil), Inc., Davao Agricultural Ventures Corp., Agrinanas Development Co. Inc, and Mindanao Agritraders, Inc. have submitted their position papers and manifested that they are already compliant of the P25,000 minimum rental. 

By: Mel B. Madera

Related Post

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (February 27, 2025) — Early diagnosis and screening services for various types of cancer and even heart disease are now readily available at public health centers across the region. The Department of Health Center for Health Northern Mindanao (DOH-CHDNM) has strengthened its early detection capacity in response to the rising cases...
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo (4K) program, a special initiative of the Department of Agriculture (DA), continues to assist Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) and Indigenous People (IP) farmers and fishers by helping them develop their ancestral lands through sustainable farming. The program also aims to boost their livelihood...
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (February 18, 2025) — Northern Mindanao’s inflation rate for January 2025 increased to 2.9 percent, rising by 0.3 percentage points from the previous month’s rate of 2.6 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-10 PSA-10 Regional Director Janith Aves explained that rising prices in food, non-alcoholic beverages, transport, restaurants, and...