P1.3-M Tuba veggie tramline inaugurated

ByAdam Borja

TUBA, Benguet -- The days of manually hauling vegetables and fruits through the rugged mountainous terrains of Benguet will soon be over with the inauguration of a P1.3 million agricultural tramline system at sitio Bawek, Twin Peaks here.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala on Wednesday led the turnover of the tramline system designed to service 25 hectares of snap beans, garden peas, ginger, yam, sweet potatoes, bananas and mangoes.

It will benefit 23 farmers who manually haul their produce through four kilometers of mountain trails that normally take them two to three hours of walking time, or hire carriers at P2.00 per kilogram of their products to the nearest junction along historic Kennon Road.

With the bi-cable tramline system in place, a maximum of two tons of produce may be hauled per hour, or a 350-kilogram load per pass, in an area spanning 452 meters across steep ravines and dense vegetation.

The tramline system at Bawek-Twin Peaks barangay was started in Oct. 2010 and completed on Dec. 26.

It was funded by the Department of Agriculture’s attached agency, the Philippine Center for Post harvest Development and Mechanization formerly the Bureau of Post harvest and Extension.

Implemented by the local government under Gov. Nestor Fongwan through the Provincial Engineering Office, the project is targeted for replication in different areas all over the province, Fongwan said. The turnover of the facility to the Bawek Twin Peaks Farmers Association was also witnessed by Benguet Rep. Ronald Cosalan.

For his part, Secretary Alcala ordered the DA regional office under newly-installed Regional Director Marilyn V. Sta. Catalina to further study the project for possible expansion and to find out about its impact on farmers in the area.

Alcala expressed all-out support to Benguet farmers and farmers’ cooperatives, reiterating the Department’s thrust of transparency and restoring public trust in government.