Batac eyes Hawaiian, turmeric ginger production

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff reporter

Batac City—The city government has set in motion a plan to make this city a Hawaiian and turmeric ginger producer.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod here passed a resolution authorizing Batac mayor Albert D. Chua to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR). The MOA requests the BAR to research and develop the project dubbed “Technology Adoption and Commercialization of Hawaiian Ginger and Turmeric (Curcuma longa) in the city of Batac”.

Batac councilor Jeremiah Jawaharlal Nalupta, the resolution’s sponsor, said the project will be led by BAR. The BAR, a Dept. of Agriculture-attached agency, is tasked to “coordinate, plan, monitor, evaluate, integrate, manage and/or initiate fund sourcing. The said agency is also expected to coordinate with other government and private agencies for the said project.

The city government here will provide technical expertise, manpower and management capability to undertake the research and development project. The city’s agriculture office is specifically raked for the said functions.

Mr. Nalupta, the council’s agriculture, livelihood and cooperatives committee chairperson, added that the DA will fund the project. He also said the agriculture department will also search for the best location for the project.

The council member said that based on his personal research, the Hawaiian ginger is bigger than local ginger species. He stated that 20-kilogram local gingers that are planted yield 40 kilograms of harvest; Hawaiian ginger on the other hand is said to yield 400 kilograms for 20 kilograms planted.

“Ket no ad-adu iti pagbalinan na diay imulam e di napinpintas ti apit ket umabot pay iti P120 kada kilo nukwa,” Mr. Nalupta explained.

He also disclosed that in his initial talks with farmers here, they all favored the project, saying this would help them producing higher value produce.

“Iti pagsayaatan na ket iti pakaimulaan na ket bakbakras iti banbantay ket nasayaat unay ta mausar dagitoy a mabalin a pagmulaan saan a maki-compete kadagiti regular nga imulmula dagiti mannalon iti taltalon,” he added.

The Ilocos Times learned that the project has an estimated cost of P4 million. Mr. Nalupta said Batac is “lucky” to have the project.

Reacting to this, Mr. Chua said he fully supports the project.

The mayor added that the said ginger specie is a high value crop.

He also said that Brgys. Camandingan, Magnuang and all the other eastern barangays here, which all have rolling mountains, may be the best area for the said project.

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