The Cagayan Valley , the northernmost region in the Philippines, has provided and sustained the basic resource base of the country.  It significantly supplies food, water and power not only to the adjacent regions but impacts on the basic needs of the nation’s capital.  Much of its comparative advantages come from an overwhelming abundance of nature’s blessing vast and fertile land area . 

Cagayan Valley, the fourth largest region in the Philippines, covers 26,838 square kilometers.  Of this area, three-fourths cover the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela. 

The region has a wide expanse of rich agricultural lands suitable to a wide variety of agricultural commodities.  The region has already earned the distinction of being a major food supplier to the rest of the country, particularly in grains and legumes.   Due to the soil’s richness, the Valley takes pride in organically grown produce.

Proximity to major markets and industrial hubs .  Cagayan Valley is the most natural link between the country’s fast paced development corridors such as the Subic and Clark Freeports to its south and the large EastAsian market.  Being located on the northeastern tip of the country, the region is closest to Taiwan and Japan, making the region a natural and efficient production and commercial gateway.  This potential is further strengthened via the development of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport.

Abundant inland and marine resources .  The region’s four major provinces lie within the country’s largest river basin and are traversed by four large rivers, numerous tributaries and other inland bodies of water.  These provide a sustainable resource for agriculture, aquaculture, recreation, tourism activities and hydro-energy.

Productive forestlands and underutilized grasslands .  Vast forest resources are now being ecologically managed to effect a sustainable forest base not only for the wood-product industry but to secure a balance ecosystem that impacts on all facets of the regions development.

Managed pastureland areas and natural grasslands cover a wide are of 550,838 hectares. This provides considerable potentials for livestock production and diversified upland farming.  Additional 838,551 hectares may be cultivated for non-traditional and high-yielding crop varieties.

Rich mineral and energy resources .  Beneath the vast, rich and fertile lands of the region lie metallic and non-metallic mineral reserves.  Cagayan Valley has gold, silver, copper, limestone and manganese.  Indigenous energy resources such as coal, natural gas, geothermal and hydroelectric capabilities have been found abundant in the Valley.