THE North Cotabato Provincial Government remains committed in strengthening rubber production in the area as it starts encouraging farmers to engage in inter-cropping, officials said early this week.

The Provincial Government has allocated P7 million this year for the implementation of the plant-now-pay-later scheme for rubber production in the area.

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North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel F. Piñol said that making rubber as one of the major crops not only in the province but in the whole country would not only generate more jobs among farmers but will also give them bigger income compared to rice and corn farming.

"Right now, we are introducing this new planting system called the two crop planting system, wherein aside from rubber, the farmer should also plant other crops to sustain him in case rubber prices go down," he said.

About four years ago, Piñol started campaigning for the revival of the rubber industry in the country which eventually led to the formulation of the 15-year National Rubber Development Program in 2006.

Piñol said the program has called for the planting of 500 million rubber trees that would in turn generate 500,000 new jobs.

"We estimate to earn about $2 billion in earnings and generate P2.5 billion in local taxes every year from the rubber industry," Piñol pointed out.

A local farmer, he added, is expected to earn P100,000 per hectare annually from rubber alone. (BSS)