The Philippines with three big islands known as the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao is endowed with vast natural resources.  Blessed with good climate, large tracts of land and hardworking, diligent people, the country rely on agriculture for its economic growth.

Agriculture is the backbone of the nation’s economy. Over 1993 to 1997 annual growth rate average to 2.74%.  About 28.6 million Filipinos depend on agriculture for their livelihood.  Agriculture employed 11.32 million representing 40.8% of the country’s employment mostly found in the rural areas.

For the past years, the country had not been sufficient if food like rice, corn fruits and vegetables so with its garments or clothing needs. This calls for aggressive agricultural programs that could increase productivity and profitability. This is to achieve production targets in competitive basis and to increase the real income of the poor agricultural households.

This calls for enterprises that have comparative advantage both in local and international markets. The dispersion of agro-based industries with good potential for exports in the rural areas is one of the immediate concerns of the government in its vision to transform the Philippines a Newly Industrialized country in the year 2000. This braces sericulture- the production of quality silk to be an avenue to create economic growth for the rural poor in the country side.