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IF you think you know all of Cebu's secrets, think again.
Strawberries are being grown in a pioneer farm in the west coast town of Balamban. The plants bear fruit between January and April.
A 500-square meter strawberry farm sits on a mountain slope in sitio Putol, barangay Magsaysay , about 64 km from Cebu City.
The farm houses almost 5,000 strawberry plants of different varieties. The three-year old project, is still in the experimental stage, but it has shown a lot of business potential, according to Jose Bebelonio Pepito, chairman of the Barangay Unity Key to Integrated Development Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Bukid-MPC), which operates the farm.
“We are still examining what varieties will grow well here, but based on our previous yield, growing strawberries is feasible,” he said in Cebuano.
Pepito, barangay councilor of Magsaysay, said they envision the farm to be one of Balamban's tourist attractions in the future.
“Naningkamot gyud mi nga mapadayon ni tungod nga attractive ni sa turista (We are working hard to continue this project because this is attractive to tourists),” said Pepito.
Some schools and tourists have visited the farm. Finding buyers for the strawberries is not a problem as customers come to the cooperative hall and buy the fruits at P200 per kilo, Pepito said.
Their number one customer is Rosie Binghay, wife of Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay. She buys five to 10 kilos every harvest time.
“The strawberries are sweet. There is not much difference from the strawberries in Baguio (in taste),” she said.
“Every time they harvest, I always tell people to go and buy. I appreciate the farmers' initiative to grow strawberries in our town,” she added.
CLIMATE
George Paculba, operations division chief of the Department of Agriculture (DA), said Balamban's location and climate provide a good environment for strawberries to grow.
Like Baguio City, which is known for its strawberries, he said barangay Magsaysay in Balamban has a high elevation with temperature between 18 and 20 degrees, just enough coolness for strawberries to thrive.
Baguio's temperature ranges between 9 and 12 degrees.But Paculba said strawberry growers in Cebu need to produce more volume to cope with the demand of hotels and restaurants, which use the fruits for ice cream or serve them as fresh fruit for dessert.
“There is no problem with the market. It is assured. Although the quality is not really like Baguio’s because our climate is more erratic here, we can still sell strawberries grown in Cebu,” he said.
Balamban’s strawberries cost more than Baugio’s harvest which can go as low as P50 per kilo.
“But it's all right because there is less supply (here), ” he said.
Volume is also important to encourage manufacturers to produce other strawberry products such as jam and candy.
The DA has been providing technical aid to another farm in sitio Cantipla, barangay Tabunan in Cebu City but can extend the same help to Bukid-MPC, he said.
START
Plans to pioneer a strawberry farm in Balamban started in 1997 when Pepito went to Baguio City to attend an agriculture seminar. He was then chairman of barangay Magsaysay. He visited the strawberry farm in La Trinidad, Benguet.
But it was only in 2005 when Pepito's curiousity prompted him to ask a friend to bring three plants for “test planting” in Cebu. The plants bore fruit.
The same year, the cooperative decided to buy 700 seedlings to start the farm with technical assistance of Environment Governance (EcoGov) project coordinator Rodolfo Aragon.
EcoGov is a project of United States Agency for International Development in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local government units and the Department of Interior and Local Government.
Seedlings were first planted in a lot in sitio Cambagukbok but due to irrigation problems, the farm was transferred in June 2007 to sitio Putol, about five kilometers from the barangay proper or seven kilometers from the Transcentral Highway, which connects Cebu City to Balamban.
Pepito said the cooperative hopes to increase the number of seedlings to 100,000 in 2013 to earn more income for the farmers.
“Our plan is to move the farm downhill so that our farmers can also plant strawberries. We want to organize a contract scheme where they will grow strawberry plants, harvest them and sell to the cooperative,” he said.-
strategy
To expand the farm, caretaker Randy Barbecho said they pluck the flowers and fruits underneath the leaves, to give way for saha (runners) to grow. Runners are the new strawberry plants, which are then planted in another plot.
“This is our strategy so that the plants will multiply...so that we can plant more seedlings in other plots,” he said in Cebuano.
He said plants bear fruits between January and April.
In 2007, a total of 35 kilos of strawberries were harvested, the first and so far the last time Bukid-MPC was able to enjoy a big harvest.
“This month, I received many calls from buyers but I told them we did not harvest because our goal is to expand the farm first. We will harvest probably in March,” he said.
Pepito said much has yet to be done to improve the farm.
They are looking for funding agencies to help strengthen the project.
“But with the potentials shown here, we are positive that we can get support from local government units and other agencies,” he said.
Growing strawberries is a costly operation.
“We have to maintain it the whole year round but harvest is only seasonal. But because we saw its great potential, we are willing to continue this project,” he told Cebu Daily News.
Organic fertilizer using vermi cast or vermicompost produced by African night crawler worms is one cost-saving method.
“Gamay na lang ang gasto namo sa fertilizer. We also produce our own fertilizer so we don't need a large amount of commercial fertilizers although we still buy some like urea,” he said.
NOT VIABLE
Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay said the strawberry farm is not yet a viable project.
“Strawberries will always grow there but the market is still limited. They are highly perishable and costly to maintain.”
The mayor said he advised farmers to plant vegetables instead.
“As an agriculturist, I know the project is not viable. I even suggested that they (cooperative) focus on one project in the meantime like abaca,” Binghay said.
Still, he appreciated the farmers' perseverance.
Binghay said the municipal government will continue to provide financial and infrastructure aid to the cooperative for its viable projects such as baca fiber production and vegetable-growing.
