North Cotabato SP approves additional 10M for rubber, oil palm

More farmers will be able to avail of rubber and oil palm seedlings under the plant-now-pay-later program of the provincial government of North Cotabato following the appropriation of an additional P10 million for its high value crops program.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan under Vice-Governor Jesus N. Sacdalan approved the additional appropriation of P4 million for rubber and P6 million for oil palm in a special session June 29 at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall.

“This will enable us to extend agricultural assistance through the PNPL to more farmers who would like to go into rubber and oil palm farming,” Governor Manny F. Piñol said.

“Among our target beneficiaries are the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC) areas and interested Muslim communities of the province,” he added.

On Wednesday, June 19, Governor Piñol visited Barangay Bolod in Pikit to personally attend a consultation-forum on oil palm farming.

Some 10 hectares of land in the former conflict area have already been planted to oil palm with Barangay Captain Edris Modale leading the recipients of seedlings under the PNPL scheme.

In Arakan, 2 CADC areas in Tumanding and Lanao Kuran have been identified by the Manobo Lumadnong Panaghiusa sa Arakan (MALUPA) under Supreme Tribal Datu Veloso Suhat as pilot areas for rubber farming.

“The CADC beneficiaries happily welcome this program of the provincial government because they know that rubber farming can improve their income and will give them the opportunity for a better future,” Suhat said.

Consultations on the program were started yesterday through the Cotabato Province Investment and Promotion Center (CPIPC) in the presence of National Commission on Indigenous People legal-designate Florie Rapista.