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‘Black gold’: Isabela munggo program bags Galing Pook award

SAN MATEO, Isabela — Dubbed as "black gold," munggo or mungbean as a major summer crop of this town bagged the prestigious Galing Pook Award at awarding ceremonies held over the weekend in Malacañang.

The award was presented by President Arroyo to San Mateo Mayor Roberto Agcaoili.
Sponsored by Ford Foundation, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Local Government Academy and the Galing Pook Foundation, the contest had 141 entries with 19 picked as finalists.
From the 19 finalists, the board of judges picked the Top 10 Outstanding Local Governance Programs for 2007. One of the Top 10 is the entry, "Munggo: The Black Gold of San Mateo (Isabela).

San Mateo bagged a Galing Pook Award plaque and cash prize of P100,000 check from DBP.
Mayor Agcaoli recalled that his municipality found no difficulty in participating in the Galing Pook competition because the technology in munggo production has been applied in his town since 2002.

"Six years ago, we were not aware of any award, but we were compelled to develop munggo as alternate crop for rice because we wanted to sustain farm production even during summer when there is scarcity of water. With or without competition, the practice was aimed at arresting the declining rice and corn production and also at restoring the fertility of the soil," Agcaoili said.

Aside from munggo, the town is intensifying production of livestock, banana, corn, and cut flower.
In its report, Galing Pook Foundation found out that munggo, locally called "balatong," is a drought-tolerant crop. The roots of this legume also restore the fertility of the soil because nitrogen-fixing bacteria thrive in them.

In 2003, the San Mateo municipal government devised a "Plant-Now-Pay-Later" scheme in an effort to intensify munggo production and entice farmers to try the crop.

Under the scheme, farmers could avail themselves of 20 kilos of munggo seeds and pay for the seeds after harvest.

The town now has more than 7,000 hectares of munggo farms during the dry season.
A harvest of 800 to 1,000 kilos of munggo per hectare at the prevailing price of P32 per kilo yields an income of from P25,600 to P32,000 per hectare. This means P224-million additional income for the farmers in summer.

"Later, San Mateo began celebrating a Munggo Field Day which included site visits of munggo demonstration farms, seminars and a Farmers Forum on the various aspects of munggo production and marketing," Agcaoili said.

Other municipalities in Isabela such as Cabatuan, Roxas, San Manuel, and Aurora are now replicating the program. – Ceasar M. Perante