Dragon Fruit Development Act

TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) JUL 15 P3:23 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) First Regular Session RECCIVLD U S.B. No. SENATES 9 Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS AN ACT URGING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EXPORT PROMOTION OF THE DRAGON FRUIT, AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR EXPLANATORY NOTE Article II, Section 21 of the 1987 Constitution provides that, " The State shall promote comprehensive rural development' Moreover, Article II, Section 15 states that "The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them." The dragon fruit, locally known as "Sanita" or "Pitahaya" in Asia, is a high value crop that is rapidly gaining a reputation as a "superfood". The dragon fruit is rich in fiber, phytoalbumins, and antioxidants, and as such is being evaluated as a potential tool for cancer prevention and diabetes management. Due to its recognition as a superfood, the global dragon fruit industry is on the upswing. The Dragon Fruit Market was valued at USD 510 Million in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 543.15 Million in 2025, growing to USD 898.91 Million by 2033, with exhibiting CAGR of 6.5%. The major producers of the dragon fruit are Viet Nam, China, Mexico, Colombia, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines. The main producing regions of the Philippines are Ilocos Norte, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Calabarzon, with a total of five hundred (500) hectares devoted to the crop. Despite the industry's potential, dragon fruit farming suffers from relatively low productivity of eleven (11) metric tons per hectare per year, compared to Viet Nams production of up to thirty-five (35) metric tons per hectare per year. This is due to our dragon fruit farmers lacking the needed training, technology and overall knowledge of production to maximize their yield. In particular, there is a need to develop a standard planting protocol, establish an accredited source of healthy planting material, provide

training programs for local farmers, support the establishment of post-harvesting facilities equipped with the necessary sanitary and phytosanitary processing and packaging machines, secure funding for the development of processing areas, facilitate market access for both domestic and international markets, and assist local government units in promoting the production, process, and trading of dragon fruit. This bill seeks to address the concerns mentioned above by providing the mechanism for the establishment of programs for efficient production, processing, marketing, and distribution of dragon fruit to ensure growth in production and export. For the abovementioned reasons, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. IMEER. MARCOST

TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) JUL 15 P3:23 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) First Regular Session RECEIVED BY: SENATE S.B. No. _ Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS AN ACT URGING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EXPORT PROMOTION OF THE DRAGON FRUIT, AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Dragon Fruit Development Act."

Sec. 2. Development of Dragon Fruit. - The Department of Agriculture (DA), in

consultation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), dragon fruit growers' cooperatives and organizations, local government units, and the private sector, shall formulate a one- year framework to be validated and updated annually. Such framework shall serve as guide to the formulation and implementation of plans, programs and projects for the commercial marketinge visices in this Act. The tom ev or shal it For provide tor the following: a) National Framework - The DA, DOST, state universities and colleges (SUCs), and other stakeholders shall strengthen the conduct of researches on dragon fruit particularly on areas of crop improvement, crop protection, harvesting and postharvest handling, supply chain analysis, marketing and promotion; b) Investment Promotion and Facilitation - The DA and DTI shall develop programs establishing links between stakeholders in the dragon fruit industry and Government Financial Institutions (GFIs) and other financial cooperatives. The DA and DTI shall likewise develop and implement programs that would establish reasonable and innovative investment incentives to attract more players in the dragon fruit industry; Export Promotion support - An integrated and strategic export promotic ogram tor dragon truit Industry shall be created. The export promotio

program shall be responsive to market conditions, needs of the exporters, and possibilities offered by new products and technologies. It shall likewise provide foreign trade and export promotion activities through trainings, technical assistance, capacity building, generating awareness on export opportunities, and export planning assistance; d) Strengthen Trade Policies and Support Network. - The DA shall be responsible in coordinating a consultative approach for the various stages of the trade policy making process. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) shall lead the negotiation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to provide a competitive environment for dragon fruit exports abroad; and • Monitoring and Evaluation. - The DA shall continuously monitor, track, ar nalyze the proqress and outcomes of the programs to be implemented i determine over-all effectiveness.

Sec. 3. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to implement this Act shall be included

in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA). Thereafter, such funds as may be necessary for the continued Implementation of this Act shall be included in the succeeding annual GAA.

Sec. 4. Separability Clause. - If any provision, or part hereof, is held invalid or

unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting.

Sec. 5. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order,

letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.

Sec. 6. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. Approved,