DAVAO CITY – Agricultural players have pledged to make the municipality of San Isidro in Davao del Norte province become the country’s “Cacao capital” and provide livelihood to farmers there.
San Isidro has 3,600 hectares of cacao farms and is known for its “Tableya” and cacao beans production. “This is a welcome development for us because San Isidro is a fourth-class municipality. We need the support from other stakeholders to cope up with the limitations,” Municipal Administrator Allan Delideli said during a recent stakeholders’ forum organized by the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF).
Representatives from the local government, business sector, community leaders, farmers and PEF trustees, as well as its program committee members met to lay down their visions to contribute in the area development of the municipality. Aside from developing the cacao industry, the participants also discussed strategies to cope up with the falling prices of copra, with inputs such as inter-cropping cacao with coconuts, good farm practices, value-adding, and improving the quality of nuts.
PEF Executive Director Roberto Calingo said the forum became an opportunity for everyone to strengthen partnerships and cooperation.
“This is an opportunity para mapakinggan kung paano magkakaroon ng pagkakaisa ng pananaw kung paano pauunlarin ang kabuhayan ng mga pamilya at kung paano papalakasin ang cacao commodity,” he said.
For her part, PEF board vice chairman Carmencita Abella said that the convergence of all stakeholders is a step towards improving opportunities for the farmers in San Isidro. “Ang punto ng ginagawa natin ay maitaas ang income ng farmers. Hindi natin maiingat ito kung hindi tayo magtutulungan,” she said. (With a report from The Mindanao Examiner.)
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