DA INTEGRATES TREE FARMING IN HIGH VALUE CROPS PROGRAM

By Manny Piñol

Secretary of Agriculture

Starting this year, the Department of Agriculture will integrate Tree Farming into its High Value Crops Program, a move that is aimed at reshaping the agricultural landscape of the country and ensuring that landslides and soil erosion would be prevented.

The Tree Farming Program will be implemented alongside other High Value Crops including Coffee, Cacao and Abaca which will be introduced in mountainous, sloping and undulating agricultural areas.

Farmers who will intercrop trees with other high value crops will be given access to a P15,000 production loan per hectare and will be engaged in a marketing agreement with a paper and pulp company which will buy their harvested trees after 5 to 8 years.

With an average density of 500 trees per hectare inter-cropped with other high value crops, a farmer could earn at least P1-M per hectare after 5 years and as much as P3-M after 8 to 10 years.

Falcata and other fast growing trees also grow saplings after cutting so there is no need to plant new seedlings after the older trees are harvested.

Coffee, Cacao and Abaca grow well with partial shading and planting these crops under fast-growing tree species like Falcata, Acacia Mangium, Eucalyptus or Gemelina have resulted in greater productivity.

Leading Cacao farming advocate Charita Puentespina of the Malagos Farms in Calinan District, Davao City prefers to plant her Cacao under Coconut Trees or other tree species.

While the planting of trees as an income generating activity has long been practiced by farmers especially in the provinces of Surigao and Agusan because of the presence of pulp and paper processors, this has largely been under the domain and supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

With the recent directive of President Rody Duterte for greater coordination and cooperation between the DA, DENR, Dept. of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Local Government Units all over the country, Tree Farming will now be differentiated from the simple Tree Planting Program and categorized as an agricultural activity.

The Province of Bataan is the first local government unit outside of Mindanao to adopt Tree Farming as an agricultural activity.

Bataan Governor Albert Garcia last year accepted my proposal to set up a pilot Tree Farm in his province following a visit I made to his area.

Today, a 20-hectare pilot Tree Farm has already been planted with Falcata.

Coffee seedlings will next be planted in the pilot Tree Farm.

The Tree Farming Program will also be introduced in other provinces in Luzon and the Visayas where landslides have been reported following typhoons or heavy rains.

Zambales Province will be on top of the list after Bataan.

For local officials and farmers who are interested to participate in this program and avail of the DA's loaning program for Tree Farming, please get in touch with the DA Regional Offices in your area.

(First four frames of photos were taken in the Bataan Tree Farm while the last four frames were taken in Agusan del Sur during a recent visit I made to tree farmers in the area.)

https://web.facebook.com/351448724937603/posts/p15000-financing-per-hectareda-integrates-tree-farmingin-high-value-crops-progra/1599569053458891/?_rdc=1&_rdr