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DAVAO TRIBES IN SIBULAN ORGANIC BANANA FARMING
avao City,Philippines - SIBULAN, Toril, Davao City –A farmer’s cooperative in this hinterland barangay not only grows exportable sweet and tasty bananas that are 100 percent chemical-free. Making the highly-priced bananas more exotic is the fact they are nurtured by the loving hands of farmers who are 100 percent true-blue Davao natives.
Sibulan Organization of Banana Growers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SOBGROMCO) may only be a small player in the banana industry but it is slowly carving a niche in the large Japanese market for organic bananas.
Although covering only about 60 hectares, SOBGROMCO highland bananas are in-demand in Japan –its main market ---where its bananas fetch a dollar more than the non-organic Cavendish.
Aromatic, tastier and with a longer shelf life, the SOBGROMCO banana of the pest-resistant Bongolan variety is endemic to the cool Upper Toril hinterlands like Sibulan about 650 meters above sea level.
SOBGROMCO officials on Saturday toured a group led by Davao City councilors Leo Avila and Ricardo Cabading and environmentalist Lia Jasmin Esquillo and Norma Javellana of the farm that is among a few in the city growing bananas the organic way.
The farm, in the midst of thick forests, has been strongly endorsed by the different tribal councils in Toril and Davao del Sur as a model farm for tribal natives. The cooperative farm straddles the boundary of Davao City and Davao del Sur. Its farm-hands are from the Tagabawa-Bagobo tribe, which accounts for 95 percent of the Sibulan population.
ORGANIC BANANA
Mindanao’s exotic fruits could grab a bigger share of the current world demand for organic fruits, said the USAID –assisted Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM). In a recent conference, GEM fruit specialist Celso Enriquez said chemical-free fruits like mango, banana and papaya command a higher price and are sought after by countries preferring organic fruits. The leading exporter of organic bananas from Mindanao is the Ayala-owned TriStar Group of Banana Companies in Davao City which exports its bananas to Japan.
Story from Mindanao Insider Daily by : Roger M. Balanza
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