SABLAN, Benguet – The municipal government is encouraging residents to plant more fruit-bearing trees within their properties to help in producing tropical fruits that will sustain the town’s identity as the fruit basket of Benguet and contribute in spurring growth and development of the locality.
Mayor Alfredo Dacumos, Jr. said that the planting of fruit-bearing trees in the private properties of residents will not only supply tropical fruits but will also help in maintaining a good state of environment and serve as an erosion control mechanism and mitigate the effects of natural hazards in the municipality.
Initially, he claimed that the municipal government already started developing its 10-hectare demonstration farm in sitio Payda, barangay Bayabas, to serve as a production area for seedlings, fruit bearing trees and vegetables that will be sold to interested residents to help them in selecting the varieties they could pant in their properties.
The municipal chief executive admitted that the development of the demonstration farm will be done through phases because of the inadequate resources of the present administration although linkages are being established with concerned government agencies to ensure the continuous source of planting materials to be sold to interested individuals wanting to produce fruits and vegetables.
Sablan celebrated the 10th edition of the town’s fruit festival, which is the major crowd-drawing event similar to other festivals being conducted in neighboring localities.
The municipal government continues to promote its demonstration farm as part of existing agri-tourism destinations in the locality even with the limited area and plants that are available in the farm to help in promoting Sablan as the source of tropical fruits being supplied in the Baguio and Benguet area.
According to him, there are already some groups that visited the ongoing works in the town’s demonstration farm and they were impressed with the development therein.
Dacumos said the municipal government is aggressively working on the development of the road leading to the demonstration farm so that visitors will have an easier time going to and coming from the farm, aside from tourists being encouraged to visit the place considering that it is part of the town’s tourist attraction, especially when full blown development has been completed within the next several years.
Apart from the demonstration farm, among the town’s tourist destinations include waterfalls, picnic areas along rivers, trekking and hiking areas and the various plantations of fruit-bearing trees located in the different barangays.
With the aggressive promotion of the municipality as the province’s fruit basket, the mayor expressed hope that the town’s tourism industry will flourish and will contribute in spurring growth and development so that more economic activities and other sources of livelihood for the people will be established. By Dexter A. See
