Published April 11, 2026 by Campus Information Office
Undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture for High Value Crops, Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero, together with Dr. Urdujah G. Alvarado, Chairperson of the Career Executive Service Board and member of the CSU Board of Regents, visited Cagayan State University Gonzaga Campus on April 8 to assess and support the campus’s research and development initiatives.
They were accompanied by the Campus Administrative Officer (AO), the Campus Planning Officer, and the Deans of the different colleges, who joined the delegation throughout the site visits and discussions.
The dignitaries toured the Mangrove and Bamboo Research and Innovation Center (MABRIC), where they inspected the campus’s tissue culture laboratories and advanced equipment. They also visited the engineered-bamboo production area and the food-processing facilities.
USEC Caballero commended the campus’s food products, noting their strong market potential. She emphasized that with proper collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, particularly in conducting necessary laboratory tests such as shelf-life analysis and quality assurance, these products could reach wider markets.
She further assured that her office could facilitate connections with appropriate laboratories, including the Food Development Center, particularly for specialized testing, such as histamine levels in shrimp-based products.
As part of her support, USEC Caballero committed to providing a Japanese sweet potato variety to enrich the campus’s existing kamote collection and pledged to link the campus with PhilRootCrops for further research collaboration.
During the visit, three research and development extension (RDE) proposals from CSU-Gonzaga were formally submitted and received by the Office of the Undersecretary. These include: “RootRise RDE: Innovating GCKU Rootcrops for Sustainable Livelihoods in Cagayan Province,” “Pineapple Power: Strengthening Value Chains through R&D and Capacity-Building for a Sustainable and Competitive Pineapple Industry in Cagayan Province,” and “Modernizing CSU-Gonzaga’s Engineered Bamboo for RDE Technology Transfer and Income Generation.”
Photos: Office of the Campus Planning