Wednesday, April 23, 2008 Davao Norte beefs up vegetable industry
TAGUM CITY -- Not everybody is aware of the value of vegetables as food and as affordable and alternative sources of essential nutrients.
But, even if the province was spared from the gloomy food crisis affecting other regions, the Provincial Government is putting its best foot forward in strengthening the production of and consumption of vegetables to reduce poverty and malnutrition.
With the generous support from the Department of Agriculture (DA), the province is launching the Vegetable Ceremonial Planting at the vegetable farm of Mr. Mauro Asuncion in Barangay Camoning, Asuncion, Davao del Norte on April 24.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap is expected to grace the occasion.
The program is under the vegetable enhancement project of the DA's GMA-high value commercial crops program. It aims, among others, to address wide-ranging gaps from pre-production to market support development and to institutionalize mechanisms needed to ensure that targets will be reached on schedule.
Governor Rodolfo Del Rosario has directed the Provincial Agriculturist Office to intensify vegetable production in the province to strengthen food security, improve nutrition and increase the income-generating capacity of the rural poor.
The DA has provided P1 million intended for essential support services such as seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. The fund will be available to the vegetable farmers on a plant-now-pay-later scheme. The Davao del Norte Vegetable Industry Development Council (DNVIDC) is entrusted to collect the payment from the farmers.
The DA has earlier endowed a single-tire Isuzu elf truck for use in marketing the produce of the DNVIDC members.
Vegetables are cheap sources of healthy food and are also the most sustainable. Indigenous vegetables are particularly rich in vitamins and minerals and other health promoting factors such as high anti-oxidant activity.
The province has since promoted backyard vegetable farming as an important component of its nutrition intervention program.
Yet, commercial vegetable production has only been given impetus a few years back as the provincial government saw the potential of the industry in improving the lot of the farmers and in helping boost the local economy.
As per record, Davao del Norte has allotted some 300 hectares for the production of vegetables last year with an average yield of about 18,000 metric tons.
However, Engineer Leonilo Patayon, senior supervisor of the Provincial Agriculturist Office, said the province is set to further intensify vegetable production this year with the allocation of more than 50 hectares in coordination with the various local government units (LGUs).
He said the industry is not affected by the massive conversion of agricultural lands to banana, as vegetable production requires lesser hectare compared to other high value crops. (Noel Baguio/PGO-ID)
