Stakeholders move to make Leyte Salad Bowl of Eastern Visayas

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
March 2, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  Intent to make the province of Leyte as the Salad Bowl of Eastern Visayas, the Department of Agriculture - Regional Field Unit 8 recently gathered the key stakeholders for a two-day orientation and project proposal writeshop at the Leyte Park Hotel.

All key players were convened to familiarize or orient them on certain standards required in the packaging of research and development (R&D) activities as set forth by research institutions or funding agencies like the Bureau of Agricultural Research or BAR, Mr. Francis Rosaroso, DA-8 Information Chief said.

DA-8 Regional Executive Director Antonio G. Gerundio exhorted the key players to put together in writing their strategies to transform the 20,000-hectare area in Ormoc-Kananga, Leyte upland range into a major grower of semi-temperate vegetables and high value crops.

“Initial activities have already been started, some logistic supports were already in place, but to ensure sustainability of our programs and services and to systematize everything we need to translate all this into viable and doable proposals,” RED Gerundio said.

On hand to explain the specific or practical details of research guidelines and other R&D protocols was Dr. Elvira C. Torres, DA’s Research and Development Division Chief who presented and discussed  additional insights, especially on the how’s and what sort of project proposals to develop for possible fund allocation and approval of concerned sponsoring agencies.

It may be recalled that the OK upland range project is being implemented under public-private partnership arrangement where the DA links with the Energy Development Corporation (EDC).

Both the DA and the EDC have pledged P92 million within five years to develop suitable areas surrounding EDC’s Leyte Geothermal Production Field (LGPF) and to provide livelihood for more or less 5,600 farmers.

The area basically covers a total of 107,625 hectares along the Tongonan mountain range which spans across 16 barangays of Ormoc City and the Municipality of Kananga. Subsistence farmers around LGPF grow assorted vegetables and fruits like cabbage, green onion, tomato, eggplant, raddish, chayote, cucumber (pipino), and pineapple. About five tons are harvested weekly and sold at public markets in Ormoc City and Kananga.

Under the five-year project, farmers will be encouraged to plant other fruit crops like durian, rambutan and jackfruit, including coffee and abaca.

The DA Region 8 and the National Agribusiness Corporation (NabCor) will assist farmers in the land preparation, cultivation, harvesting, processing, and marketing of vegetables and other high value commercial crops.

In December last year, no less than DA Secretary Proceso J. Alcala came over to Tacloban City to oversee and lead the signing of the MOA with partner agencies such as EDC, NabCor, Visayas State University (VSU) and the Partners Multi-Purpose Cooperative.  Alcala said he hopes that the project would encourage farmers to be entrepreneurial.

Purportedly, of the P92-million initial funding, the DA-NabCor will share P29 million to build a consolidation center and pilot packinghouse, and provide marketing support. Moreover, based on the program document released prior to Secretary Alcala’s visit last year, another P13 million is earmarked for research and development.