Thursday, August 07, 2008 PBGEA, Stanfilco holds tree planting activity
A LOCAL group of banana growers and exporters has recently partnered with the residents of Barangay Carmen in Baguio District, Davao City in planting over 1,500 trees, giving particular attention to barren areas along Panigan River.
Around 100 volunteers, including government officials and employees of Pilipino Banana Growers & Exporters Assoc., Inc. (PBGEA) member-companies Stanfilco, Davco, Sumifru, and Lapanday gathered to give root to more than 500 fruit trees and over 1,000 forest trees.
Most of Panigan River, which runs through Tawan-tawan and Carmen localities, has deep and steep hillsides that can become susceptible to erosion if left with not enough forest cover.
In an activity conducted July 26, officials of Stanfilco and barangay council of Carmen, along with Malalan Elem. School teachers, parents and school children planted durian and rambutan while government and PBGEA officials concentrated on molave, mahogany, bamboo, malibago and kaningag laurel.
The program illustrates the long-standing concern of PBGEA over the state of environment, highlighting the fact better ecosystem means lesser floods, which further result to better yield of farms.
PBGEA has 29 member-companies growing and exporting bananas for various markets in Asia-Pacific Region. In 2006, the organization went full blast on environmental rehabilitation by planting over 15,000 trees and sustained the cause with a target of 10,000 trees year by year.
The Carmen tree planting was also participated in by the City Council of Davao, Kasilak Development Foundation Inc., Davao City Agriculture Office, Davao City Health Office, Department of Agrarian Reform-Southern Mindanao; City Environment and Natural Resources Office-Bangkal and Agdao, Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, Syngenta Philippines and Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Southern Mindanao.
