The report is the output of a two-year research project with the theme: "Transport Policy Study: Promoting Efficiency and Productivity of Flow of Goods -- A Focus on the Transportation Needs of Mindanao Region." Funded by the Australian Research Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the study was implemented by the Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)-Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Los Baños-based SEARCA, headed by Director Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., is one of the 20 regional centers of SEAMEO, an intergovernment organization formed in 1965 to promote cooperation among Southeast Asian nations through activities in education, science, and culture. Citing the study, SEARCA said in a statement that Mindanao -- as the country`s major source of agricultural commodities -- produced 1.54 million tons of food and live animals in 2009. About 70% of the total volume of the country’s major fruits and vegetables are produced in Mindanao, the statement said.
