THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is planning to establish a P10-million lacatan nursery in Marinduque to boost the production of the fruit in the province.
Lacatan is a popular variety of banana in the country.
“We will buy the shoots of lacatan in this province and we will grow it in the nursery. Afterward, we will return and distribute the young plants to you,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol told 500 farmers and fishermen in Marinduque on Thursday.
The farmers were severely affected by Typhoon Nina’s (international code name Nock-ten) landfall in the province.
“If the bananas in the province do not suffer any disease, then it is better to protect its seedlings for production,” Piñol added.
During Piñol’s visit in Marinduque, the province received P6.3 million worth of agricultural assistance from the DA for the rehabilitation program for both agriculture and fishery industries badly damaged by Nina, Piñol said.
The figure was 581 percent higher than the P985,000 initial assistance committed by the DA to Marinduque.
“I am amazed at the resilience of the people of Marinduque,” Piñol said.