Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Tagum all set for durian fest By Carlo P. Mallo
TAGUM City is all set to hold its 3rd Annual Durian Festival, and this time, the organizers promise there will be a lot of durian fruits to feat on.
"In last year's festival, we were not able to accommodate the demand of our visitors as we ran out of stock on our Durian," Tagum Tourism Council chairman and first lady Alma Uy said.
This year, the durian harvest is assured as farmers have been encouraged to grow more for the season.
Tagum is home to around 100 hectares of durian farms planted with different varieties.
"We are encouraging them to plant more hybrids rather than the native variety, as the hybrids yield more quality fruits," Uy said of the durian farmers.
Rudy Alvarez, a member of the Board of Directors of Tagum City Durian Farmers, said that it was Tagum City Mayor Rey "Chiong" Uy who initiated the Durian production in the city. According to Alvarez, Uy started by subsidizing the farmer's inputs.
"Even up to now, the local government still subsidizes the farmers’ inputs," Alvarez added.
The reason why the Durian festival was slated in September is because durian harvest peaks in September.
"Harvesting durian is during August until October, it peaks during September," Alvarez said.
