Northern Mindanao’s cassava annual revenue contributes Php 1.8 Billion to the national economy, an agriculture official said Monday. Lealyn Ramos, the regional director of the Department of Agriculture here, said that the amount translates to 601,288.33 metric tons of cassava or about 25.47 percent of the country’s national cassava production. She said that the cassava crops in Northern Minda-nao cover a total of 25,168 hectares or an annual average of 23, 891 metric tons cassava yield per hectare. Ramos said that Bukidnon leads the industry with an annual harvest of 397, 051 metric tons in 16,150 hectares planted to cassava crops followed by Misamis Oriental, which produces 133,832 metric tons in an area of 5,610 hectares. She said that Misamis Occidental ranked third with a total annual production of 42,350 metric tons in a 1,830 hectare cassava plantation. Fourth is Lanao del Norte, 24,958 metric tons with 1,305 hectares, and Camiguin with a total annual production of 3,456 metric tons in a 273 hectare plantation area. Ramos has expressed the fear that unless the threat of the “cassava witches’ broom” disease is contained, the cassava industry in the region might result in a 100 percent yield loss. She said that the DA is now conducting a series of farmers and stakeholders’ forum in cooperation with the local government units in order to arrest the spread of the disease. The disease appears as a light purple-pigmented stiff shoot, shorter internode and stunted growth and discoloration and distortion of leaves turning into bouquet-like or “broom” that attacks and consumes the cassava starch. (PNA)