Priority Investment Areas

The province plans to concentrate its efforts on two major industries: the tourism industry and the agriculture and fishery industry.

Batanes recognizes the viability of converging a great amount of effort towards concretizing the BECTI program within the content of the Regional Development Framework Plan.

Through the BECTI, the province will develop a hybrid of nature and cultural tourism, formulating its own brand of eco-cultural tourism.  This kind of tourism offers nature-based adventure and heritage conservation activities.  Tourism will also bring about livelihood opportunities for individual business owners to community-based enterprises, such as souvenir handicrafts and food processing for tourist consumption.

Areas for investment in agriculture are also present.  To sustain food requirements for local communities and the projected increase in tourist arrivals, Batanes needs to increase agricultural productivity and create stable food supplies.  Investment opportunities are wide open in agri-business, particularly through organic farming and production of homegrown crops such as garlic and turmeric.  Investments in aqua culture or in-land fishing are also economically viable because there is lack of sustained fish produce supply once the typhoon season hits.  Efforts are being made to increase livestock and poultry supplies and products, including post-harvest facilities, like ice plants and cold storages.

1.     Tourism Industry

·         Batanes Ecological-Cultural Tourism Industry

·         Development of SMEs and other viable industries/livelihood enterprises linked to tourism

2.     Agriculture

·         Mechanized farming

-          Corn production

-          Rice production)

·         Agri-Business – Organic Production

-          Vegetables

-          Tubers

-          Spices (Batanes garlic, Turmeric, Ginger)

3.     Fisheries

·         Commercial Fishing

-          Production

-          Marketing

-          Aqua-culture/in-land fishing

4.     Livestock and Poultry

·         Large Animal

·         Small Ruminants (goat and sheep)

·         Swine

·         Poultry (native chicken, broiler and egg)

5.     Integrated Post Harvest Facilities

·         Ice plant and cold storage

·         Provision of refrigerated van

6.     Basic Infrastructure

·         Ports

-          Construction of Basco All-Weather Ship Shelter Port

-          Improvement of Municipal/feeder ports

·         Water System

-          Provincial Water Works/Drainage System – Batan Island

-          Improvement of Municipal Water Works System – Sabtang and Itbayat

·         Power

-          Mini-hydro Power Plant – Batan Island

-          Hybrid–Wind/solar Power Plant – Province wide

7.     Health

·         Preventive – PHO and RHU

·         Curative – PHO and DOH

8.     Education

·         Basic Education – indigenization of the curriculum

9.     Social Welfare

·         Disadvantaged Sector

·         Senior Citizens

10.  Forest Management Programs Including Tree Planting

·         Agro-forestry (fruit trees)

·         Community Based Forestry Projects

11.  Coastal Resource Management Programs

·         Marine Gardens

·         Sanctuaries

12.  Quarrying

13.  Solid Waste Management Programs