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Vice Governor Jesus Sacdalan said rubber propagation would get P4 million and oil palm propagation P6 million.
He said the additional fund would enable more farmers to avail of rubber and oil palm seedlings through the plant-now-pay-later scheme of the high value crops program of the province.
Meantime, Governor Emmanuel Piñol lauded the Provincial Board for their continuous support to various programs for farmers in all areas of North Cotabato.
He said among the target beneficiaries are the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC) areas and interested Muslim communities.
On Wednesday, the governor 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, two 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 started on Friday through the Cotabato Province Investment and Promotion Center in the presence of National Commission on Indigenous Peoples legal-designate Florie Rapista. (Williamor A. Magbanua/MindaNews)