Adams poised to become ‘fruit bowl’ of Ilocos Norte

Bielmaju Waley Bawingan and her Bugnay fruit tree (Lei Adriano)

Lychees grown in Adams. (Lei Adriano)

Tourists enjoy Bugnay wine tasting at the winery. (Lei Adriano)

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Adams, Ilocos Norte—If Davao City is the fruit basket of the Philippines, a small town of culturally-diverse indigenous peoples (IPs) of Adams is poised to become Ilocos Norte’s fruit bowl, growing the best exotic fruit varieties for years now.

Home to the famous “Bugnay” (wild berry) wine and other tropical wines reaching local and international markets, the fifth class municipality of Adams composed of one village and five sitios—Maligligay, Malaggao, Sinidangan, Cadisan and Bucarot is covered by lush vegetation, cloud-capped mountains, crystal clear rivers, waterfalls and functional hanging bridges.

Sprawling on a land area of 159.31 square kilometers, its climate and topography resembles that of Baguio City as small farm owners also grow organic fruits and vegetables such as lychees, rambutan, lansones, bugnay, strawberry, beans, spinach and lettuce among others.

Residents here used to travel more than an hour of dirty road going up and down, traversing river boulders overlooking deep ravines and cliffs. During rainy season, one cannot simply go out of the house to buy necessities in neighboring town’s commercial center as passing through the rugged terrain may cause disaster in this landslide-prone road. Of the 21 towns and two cities of Ilocos Norte, Adams is often isolated during typhoon.

But it is not anymore. In early 2014, the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) converge for the improvement of roads leading to Adams, with its potential ecotourism destinations which are now starting to lure both local and foreign tourists here.

Banking on the concept of community-based sustainable tourism development, the town’s first lady Bielmaju Waley Bawingan, in her capacity as chairperson of the municipal tourism council organize associations of men and women engaged in home stay operation business, food processing, cultural presentations,  and wine making business among others.

Ms. Bawingan, who is also the head consultant of the “One OFW, One Fruit Program” of the municipality, has enjoined Overseas Filipino Workers in Adams to support the program and create a sustainable livelihood for OFW families back home.

Launched in 2014, the program is being spearheaded by the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO), assisting OFW families to set up their own organic fruit farm. They likewise affiliated themselves with various research and academic institutions such as the Benguet State University, Nueva Viscaya Research Center and the Philippine Fruits Association to ensure the sources of fruit seedlings are the best varieties and it can be adopted in Adams town.

To date, at least  eight OFWs have embark on the fruit planting program of the municipality with hectares of longkong lansones, rambutan, sweet tamarind, guyabano, bugnay, pomelo and lemon trees now being planted and supervised by families of OFWs here.

Under this scheme, the local government unit of Adams through its MAO shall provide interested OFWs superior varieties of fruit trees sourced out from existing local farms in Adams.

In return, the OFW family will ensure the proper care and maintenance of the fruit tree until it bears fruit. The OFW shall provide for labor expense such as for land preparation, planting, maintenance and farm inputs like fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides. These must be agreed upon by both parties through a memorandum of agreement citing the specific terms and conditions including the farmer-cooperators willingness to share the scions of the fruit trees for asexual reproduction by other interested individuals from Adams.

“The goal of the One OFW, One fruit program is for the OFW to have a livelihood when she returns home for good. In connection with burgeoning tourism industry of Adams, we hope that the program will further boost our agri-tourism activities because we plan to have future farm tours and farm stays,” said Ms. Bawingan.

A 1,000 square meter organic farm, owned by Ms. Bawingan also serves as a demonstration farm for other cooperators to follow.

At the Inuwayan Farms are organically-grown lychees, durian, marang, cacao, bugnay and many other exotic fruit varieties—just to show to local residents that they can grow almost anything in the rich soil of Adams.

“By 2020, we hope Adams to become the fruit bowl of Ilocos Norte. This is our vision and we are now underway to make it happen,” said Ms. Bawingan.

This May, the Inuwayan Farms, which has been engaged in the collection of best fruit varieties since 2002, is inviting everyone for the “eat-all-you-can” fruit tasting of the best exotic fruits that are ready for harvest.

Aside from that, each sitio is also engaged in “One Sitio, One Fruit Program” where they can plant one fruit variety of their own.

The one fruit variety per sitio, according to Ms. Bawingan is also a means to avoid market rivalry once the fruits are ready to be commercialized.

Located 105 kilometers from Laoag City, Adams is also a melting pot of indigenous arts and culture, having five tribes locally known as the Yapayaos, Isneg, Bagobos, Kankana-eys and Ilocanos.

Of the P390 million worth DOT-DPWH convergence program in Ilocos Norte, at least P100 million was allotted for the 4.8-kilometer road concreting of the Pancian, Pagudpud-Adams road, enabling Adams residents and tourists as well to reach Adams and cut short the trip by approximately 30 minutes from the Pancian, Pagudpud national highway.