08 Nov Chinese Investors Plans to Establish 6,000-Hectare Tea Plantation in MILF Territory
To help Chinese investors acquire a 6,000-hectare tea plantation within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) controlled territory in Mindanao, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary, Ismael Sueno said on Monday, November 7, that he will meet with the leaders of MILF.
During President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit in China last month, Chinese agriculture officials told Sueno that they have discovered a potential area for the tea plantation in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Chinese officials, including the chairman of the Bank of China, told him that they have been planning to establish a tea plantation but due to the contaminated soil in China, they cannot have the plantation in their own country.
Sueno said in a press statement, “They (Chinese agriculture officials) still want to get on with the production of the tea, and they have found a right place in the Philippines. You know where that place is? That’s in Mindanao.”
Sueno did not reveal the exact area in the ARMM yet he stated that it is within the domain of MILF.
The Chinese investors are also aware that the potential area for the tea plantation is within the MILF territory, he added.
He said, “Sabi nila na bahala na if they lose 1 billion yuan basta they have attempted to help the people in Mindanao.”
To produce a world-class tea by using the Philippine soil, Sueno said, adding that China is persistent to enter into a partnership with the Philippines.
He believed that the partnership will boost the ties between China and Philippines.
Sueno said he was encouraged by the eagerness and determination of the Chinese people not only to provide high-class tea but also to help the Filipinos regarding the agricultural production.
Sueno on his part vowed to do everything in his capacity as DILG secretary to defend the intended world class aromatic tea plantation in ARMM.
The DILG secretary said, “I will go to the (MILF) commanders, to the governor, and the mayors in the area and talk to them in order to protect them. This will be a world-class tea plantation. One kilo will cost about $10,000.”
News Source: GMA News
No Comments