Harvest time for Dinagat Islands' pineapple plantation devastated by ‘Odette’
By Renelle Escuadro
Farmers belonging to the Pineapple Growers Farmers Association are now harvesting pineapples from a two-hectare plantation that was among those heavily devastated by Typhoon Odette in the town of Basilisa, in Dinagat Islands.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) Caraga, through its High Value Crops Development Program, assisted the farmers to rebuild the plantation by providing pineapple suckers worth P525,000.
According to Fortunato M. Secusana, chairperson of the farmers’ association, “With this help from the government, we wanted to ensure sustainable income for all the members.”
“Before, when we had the volume of harvested pineapples. However, we had difficulty looking for buyers, especially because we are located on an island so transporting our products to mainland buyers would require extra cost. Sadly, they opted to look for other convenient and cheaper pineapple producers,” Secusana explained.
Meet the resilient pineapple farmers who are members of the Pineapple Growers Farmers Association in Basilisa, Dinagat Islands. (DA-13)
“That is why we looked for ways, and we sought help from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and we received a recommendation if we could process pineapple wine instead, “Secusana added.
Accordingly, the market value of a pineapple changes significantly when it goes through processing. Pineapple fruit costs P30 per kilogram. However, if it is processed, a bottle of wine is equivalent to one to two kilograms of pineapple.
The DTI Caraga, through its provincial office, trained the members of the association on pineapple wine processing as value adding that provided a steady source of income and employment opportunities, especially in their community where jobs are scarce. It made further commitment to help the association bring their products to a wider market so more people will know and buy their pineapple wine.
With better income opportunities as pineapple wine is selling at P300 per bottle, the association is currently working on establishing a processing facility as the members prepare for the accreditation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (RLE, PIA-Dinagat Islands, with report from DA-Caraga)
