Farming unites former
foes
By
Vanessa P. Sanchez
A quest
for change and the pursuit of a better and peaceful life brought together two
former opposing forces.
This is
how the Taguibo Coconut and Cacao Growers Association, Inc. (TCCGA) based in
Butuan City came to be. With the common ground of being engaged in coconut and
cacao growing, the association, aside from farmers, is composed of retired
soldiers and rebel returnees who have turned to farming to alleviate their way
of living.
The
association was originally organized in the year 1987 as Taguibo Small Coconut
Farmers Organization through the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) with
coconut growers as members. However, the unstable market price of coconut which
even went as low as P2.50 per kilogram of whole nut discouraged the farmers. It
was further aggravated because of their experiences of difficulty as small
farmers in accessing loans because of stringent requirements. Feeling that
there was not enough intervention, the members soon lost interest and the
association became inactive.
It was
in 2014 when the Kaanib Enterprise Development Project (KEDP) of the PCA was
implemented that the organization was reactivated. The project promotes
coconut-based enterprise and has four components including the Coconut-Cacao
Enterprise Development Project. Cacao was then gaining much interest because of
its high demand in the market. This renewed the hope of the farmers and they
availed of the said project. It was at this time that the group was
renamed Taguibo Coconut and Cacao Growers Association (TCCGA) and had the
election of their new set of officers.
Since
the intervention under the KEDP was only planting materials and fertilizers,
the TCCGA with the leadership of their elected President Restituto P. Asube,
sought assistance from various government agencies.
The
Department of Agriculture (DA) in Caraga through the High-Value Crops
Development Program (HVCDP) was among the first to respond to help the
association increase their production and improve their product quality. The
association was provided with farm tools and equipment such as knapsack
sprayers, plastic drums, HDE pipes, as well as two fermentation facilities, and
a multi-commodity solar tunnel dryer for post-harvest activities. They were
also given additional planting materials for their farm expansion. They also
underwent training to enhance their knowledge and skills in cacao production
and processing.
At
present, the TCCGA now has 120 members and 72 of these are active cacao
growers. They have a total of 131.7-hectare land area clustered in the
barangays of Taguibo, Cabcabon, Sumilihon, Antongalon, Camayahan, Anticala, and
Pianing, all of Butuan City. These are planted with 70,747 cacao trees of which
70% are already productive.
Currently,
they have an average monthly production of 2,500 kilograms of beans during peak
season which falls on the months of August-November. During the lean months,
from January to June, they have an average production of 600 kilograms.
Initially,
the members only sold dried beans. Later on, however, some of the members
started to venture into processing. “We realized that if we do value-adding
into our products, we could earn more. For example, a kilo of dried beans would
sell for P120.00 per kilo only while if you process it into tablea, it would
sell for P600.00 per kilo, so there is a big difference,” Asube shared.
For
now, there are 11 members who are into tablea making. They are currently doing
the processing individually and selling their products to local cafes, members’
stores, malls, and also at the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Negosyo
Centers. The rest are still selling dried beans.
To
boost their processing activities, Asube said that the association applied for
a cacao processing project under the Shared Service Facilities Project under
the DTI. He added that when the project is implemented, they will be
consolidating their produce and about 75% of their cacao beans will already be
processed by the association.
Asube
said that they are overwhelmed by the support given by the government to help
small farmers like them to boost their farming endeavors. “Farmer leaders are
even given a chance now to participate in drafting plans and activities for the
year which shows that our views are given importance. This encourages us to
strive harder and work hand in hand with the government,” he said.
For now, the group has several plans to further improve their cacao farming and processing such as establishing a cacao clonal garden, creating a new processed product, and establishing a “pasalubong” center, among others. This way, they aspire to establish a niche in the market and be among the drivers of the agriculture industry in the region. (DA13-RAFIS/PIA Agusan del Norte)
DA strengthens agri extension services through PAFES
By Aurelius
P. Arais
BUTUAN
CITY, Mar. 2 -- The Provincial Agriculture Office of Agusan del Norte nodded in
support to the implementation of the Provincial-led Agriculture and
Fishery Extension System (PAFES) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“This
is a welcome move for us since we are dealing directly with the farmers and it
would hasten the delivery of services to them,” Alvin Aclan, Agusan del Norte
Provincial Agriculturist said.
PAFES
is one of the key strategies and initiatives to grow in agriculture in 2021 and
beyond under the ONE-DA framework of Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar. This
is in pursuant with DA’s agricultural modernization and agro-industrialization
thrusts through mainstreaming the implementation of programs in the
provinces.
Through
PAFES, the local government unit (LGU) will be at the forefront in delivering
extension services to the farmers such as the conduct of technology
training, provision of farm machinery, production, and infrastructure support,
downstream researches, and marketing.
Rebecca
Reyes Atega, Regional Technical Director for Operations, disclosed that as of
now the preparation for the implementation of PAFES is on its way prior to its
full implementation set in 2022.
“As
jumpstart of the implementation, Agusan del Norte has been chosen as the pilot
province,” she said.
In
setting the direction, the agricultural program from the national, regional to
local levels will be harmonized through the Collaborative Agriculture and
Fisheries Extension Program (CAFEP) integrated into the Provincial Commodity
Investment Plan (PCIP).
“This
is to ensure dynamic linkages among provincial, municipal or city LGU,
DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, DA regional offices, and other
bureaus including State Universities and Colleges, and the private sector,”
Atega said.
As preparation,
Aclan revealed that they are in the process of strengthening the capacity of
the Provincial Agriculture Office.
“I
already proposed to our provincial leaders to fill in the vacant positions and
make way for the establishment of our engineering section for us to be able to
respond to the need of our farming constituents,” he said.
PAFES
is an initiative of the DA in anticipation of the full implementation of the
Mandanas Ruling which significantly boosts the financial capabilities of LGUs
to implement agricultural programs and projects.
The 2018 Supreme Court ruling, on the petitions of Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas and former Bataan Gov. Enrique Garcia Jr., stated that the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) must come from two-fifths of the collections of all national taxes including collections from import duties and other levies, on top of the BIR tax revenue. (DA-Caraga/PIA Agusan del Norte)
