BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon
Cirus farmers
(Francis B. Degay writes this week’s column)

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The demand for citrus, which is usually supplied through importation from foreign countries, in the region boosted the idea of some farmers to till their idle lots for citrus production.

These farms became so popular since the mid 90s as sources of local fruit supply and farm visits by clients of the Central Cordillera Agricultural Program (CECAP), the Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Program (CHARMP) and agricultural institutions.

In 1997, the citrus farm of Herman Kalley, one of the first citrus producers, was wiped out by the huang long bin disease or greening. This was followed in 2008 to 2009 when the farm in Talubin owned by Brigitte Ayuchok was shattered with the same killer disease.

Huang long bin is a bacterial disease that usually attacks during leaf flashing of trees. It slowly kills the citrus plants if not taken cared immediately. Some of the effects of this disease are manifested by the elongation of the fruits, half ripening with greenish color at the bottom of the fruit, sweet and sour taste, yellowing of leaves and finally withering of branches and trunk.

Due to the critical state of the citrus industry in this town, Mountain Province Gov. Maximo Dalog requested Juliet Ochasan of BPI-Cordillera Administrative Region based at Baguio City to assess the outbreak. In her series of visits she found out that 320 trees owned by 23 individual farmers were confirmed to be infected by the greening disease.

This however did not deter the other farmers to convert their farms into more productive citrus plantations coupled with planting of organic cash crops such as vegetables and strawberry.

There are 114 citrus producers operating about 80 hectares in the municipality of Bontoc.

Engineer. Alfonso Kalley, who resigned from CECAP to go on citrus production, says that for the past years, the harvest of farmers was decreased to as low as 70%.

Former DENR employee Tomas Sadcopen also hang his profession and became organic citrus producer. He supplies one buyer in Manila.

Kalley and Sadcopen became experts on organic citrus management by conducting up to date researches and attending seminars. They are also being tapped as among the resource speakers on citrus growing in the region.

Engr. Kalley tried to control the disease by applying tetracyclin, an injectable antibiotic but the medicine is too expensive. The application of this prolonged the lifespan of trees for about one year. As a more practical measure, he switched to the indigenous method by spraying the infected trees with concoction from guava leaves. According to him, the two methods have similar effects.

Kalley further said that the last resort to eliminate additional damages and avoid contamination of other trees that would be very expensive option to farmers is total cutting and burning of infected trees.

Recently, two among the officers of the coop that was represented by Kalley and Sadcopen approached and related to Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey of the impending citrus plague. Odsey vowed to utilize the municipal nursery located at Lengsad, Caluttit, Bontoc in producing disease-free citrus seedlings as replacement to the affected citrus trees to be funded by the local government unit.

In 2008, the local government of Bontoc through the initiative of Mayor Odsey accessed a grant of about P.782M from the Department of Labor and Employment -Cordillera Administrative Region. The amount was given directly to the Bontoc Organic Citrus Producers Cooperative for the purchase of shredding machines, motorized grass cutters, pH meters and earthen jars for fermenting organic pesticides.

As an advocate of healthy lifestyle, Odsey provided a space for the sale of organic products at the Bontoc Public Market.