DBP pledges loan support for Mindanao tree farming The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), with the financial support of its partner bank, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), will initiate the revival of the Plywood and Veneer Industry in Mindanao, this time using fast-growing industrial trees. On Wednesday, Aug. 11, in the newly-opened “Sikwatihan,” or choco outlet, located right at the edge of a Cacao farm intercropped with Falcata Trees in Naawan, Misamis Oriental, two key officials of DBP expressed support for the Industrial Tree Farming Program pushed by MinDA. DBP President Emmanuel G. Herbosa and Director Jeannie Sandoval who joined me and the MinDA team in a series of activities which started in Taraka, Lanao del Sur agreed with MinDA’s proposal that the Industrial Tree Farming Industry of Mindanao should be boosted by organizing Caraga INFOCUS
the stakeholders and establishing processing facilities to complete the value chain. The discussion on the key role of tree farming in Mindanao’s Greening and Economic Recovery Programs started when I pointed out to Herbosa and Sandoval that the chocolate drink we were having in the roadside Choco Joint came from Cacao Trees which were vigorously growing under Falcata Trees. The Cacao under the Falcata Project, along with the “Sikwatihan sa
Lasang,” are projects of Naawan Mayor Dennis Roa. Falcata is a fast-growing tree species planted in many mountainous areas of Mindanao, especially in the Caraga Region, which had provided poor rural families with sources of income. However, since the tree farmers are disorganized and most of the logs are bought by private processors or exported to China, prices had been controlled and manipulated. August 14-20, 2021 |
33
