DAVAO CITY—The provincial government of Compostela Valley, with the support of the national government agencies, has dispersed a total of 1.42 million cacao seedlings to farmers who wished to venture into high-value crop.
ComVal government reported that the data were based on the records of dispersal from the year 2009 to 2015 under the government’s agriculture program.
For 2016, another P 1.18 million worth of cacao seedlings are set to be distributed among farmers in Compostela Valley, a program that the provincial government will undertake together with the Department of Agriculture in Davao region (DA-11) and the Mindanao Development Authority.
Of the data presented by the provincial government, the most number of cacao dispersal were facilitated last year, with a total of 508,841 seedlings handed over to the farmers in the area.
Most of the cacao seedlings were produced from the local government-owned cacao nursery at the Lamdag Agro-Eco Tourism Complex in Barangay Pasian, Monkayo town.
Other seedlings were also sourced out through the implementation of the bottom-up budgeting of the local government unit of Montevista town, the DA-11, and the Philippine Coconut Authority.
The breakdown of distribution per year, as reported by Compostela Valley’s Provincial Agriculturist Office indicated that a total of 32,770 cacao seedlings were received by the farmers in the area in 2009; 23,950 in 2010; 52,050 in 2011; 142,166 in 2012; 232,356 in 2013; and 430,510 in 2014.
The provincial government emphasized that cacao has been an important commodity today as its demands continue to grow not only in the local but also in world market.
The intensified dispersal of cacao seedling is also part of the “Rebuilding and Recovery Program” of Compostela Valley after the province was severely hit by Typhoon Pablo (international code name Bopha) in 2012.