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KABACAN, Cotabato — The University of Southern Mindanao (USM) hosted the Panabo City Rural Improvement Club (PCRIC) members on a benchmarking visit, showcasing the university’s food innovations and sustainable agricultural practices to bolster food security and promote healthy food options.
The whole-day tour, conducted on October 21, 2025, underscored USM’s role in vital knowledge transfer, directly supporting the socioeconomic and sustainable development goals of various interest groups and local business sectors.
The PCRIC delegation commenced their visit at the College of Agriculture (CA), welcomed by Mr. Rezin Cabantug, who guided the tour.
A key stop was the University of Southern Mindanao Agricultural Research and Development Center (USMARDC), where visitors received a practical demonstration on enhancing product longevity and packaging. Elnora Flores, an expert in vegetable cracker production, highlighted USM’s commercially successful vegetable-based crackers, notably the Kalabasa (squash) and Malunggay (moringa) variants, which currently command high market demand.
The tour then proceeded to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) site, providing a firsthand view of ongoing research farms.
Mr. Cabantug led a discussion on crop integration systems designed to boost yield production. He specifically emphasized the strategic importance of Cardava bananas, noting their resilience and ability to produce fruit even during harsh, dry conditions, making them an ideal and stable raw material for product development.
“We can source fruit from Cardava bananas even during the drought season. This makes them an ideal raw material for various developable products, providing supplementary income,” Cabantug stated.
The visitors also observed the advanced equipment used at the Food Innovation Hub for creating both food and non-food items, with Cabantug providing detailed explanations on the machinery’s function and operation.
The tour culminated at the High-Value Crops and Food Processing Center, where PCRIC members tasted USM’s renowned tablea (cacao-based product) and received free legumes and forages from the DA-Philippine Carabao Center at USM.
Sanky Mae Tanginan, one of the visitors, praised the comprehensive experience but appealed for deeper collaboration. “Napakasaya ng activity namin for today dahil hindi lamang kami natuto sa mga discussions and tour. Na-try din kasi namin ‘yung mga products na ipinagmamalaki ng USM kaya sana hindi pa ito ang huli. I wish na mag-support ang USM sa mga gusto rin naming trainings most especially sa bananas kasi ‘yun naman ang meron doon sa amin, para na rin sa ikauunlad ng Panabo City and the business sectors,” she said.
The successful exchange highlights the university’s unwavering commitment to disseminating research and supporting innovative capacity-building among government and non-government agencies.
