Monday, August 21, 2006
Fruit growers suffer huge losses, blame bad weather
MAGPET, North Cotabato -- The months of July and August used to be the season for exotic fruits like lanzones, rambutan, marang, mangosteen, and durian.
Unfortunately, these tropical fruits are getting scarce if not altogether disappearing from the fruit stands.
Blame it on the unpredictable weather, farmers say.
"Nagtampo ang mga punong prutas because they were not given due recognition," Alfredo Jaylon, this town's supervising agriculture officer, said.
But generally, he blamed the delay of the fruiting season.
Jaylon said that in February to March this year, rains swept the province and in April, a dry spell was experienced in the area.
In May the rains returned, he added.
"The plants were stressed by this erratic weather condition," Jaylon went on to explain.
The province celebrates fruit fair between July and August and even created the "Timpupo" festival to usher the harvest season.
Department of Trade and Industry Provincial Director Anthony Bravo said the fruit festival this year was moved to October 9 to 15 due to a marked delay in harvest.
"Except durian, which is being harvested in small quantities, the other fruits are still very immature," Bravo said.
North Cotabato agricultural officer Antonio Balagot also blamed the delay of the fruit season to bad fertilizing practices.
Agriculture officials however failed to give the estimated value of the provincial fruit industry where harvests of various fruits are believed worth not less than P10 million.
Magpet alone, Jaylon said, could harvest 10 to 20 tons of marang a week for one month.
Majority of North Cotabato's 18 local government units have been growing various kinds of fruits for the commercial markets.
Over the last several years, North Cotabato has emerged as a major fruit- producing province in Central Mindanao region.
For Bisaya stories from General Santos.Click here. (This section is updated every Monday)
(August 21, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
