Sec. Alcala to concentrate to Aurora’s coconut center and other DA projects

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DINALUNGAN, AURORA, February 19, 2011-Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala yesterday said that his office and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) should concentrate to the Php216 million Aurora Province Coconut Development Center (APCDC) project in a 133-hectare public land under the jurisdiction of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) located at Barangay Dibaraybay here and other DA projects to address food security and to become supplier of coconut varieties in Luzon.

Alcala said that the research training is pompous in a coconut seed farm to produce quality seed nuts and there is a need to focus in the combined technology in the traditional and modern coconut farming.

“It is a blatant truth that APCDC serves as a great help in northern Aurora to become self-sustainable but we have to choose the best research among them,” Alcala said. “Mag-concentrate tayo patungo sa iisang layunin, mahirap kapag puro research,” he advised.

Alcala also lauded Senator Edgardo J. Angara and Congressman Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara for their efforts in building the pioneering facility that will cater to the needs for coconut planting materials in the province and in the whole of Luzon, where the Php5,816,503.41 million two storey administration building, Php1,608,050.38 million perimeter fence, Php 1,847,117.38 million access road and the Php1,101,045.52 million elevated water tank were inaugurated last January 22.

There are eighty six employees who managed and planted coconut mother palm varieties in the APCDC like embryo-cultured macapuno, tacunan dwarf, catigan dwarf, synvar, baybay tall, san ramon tall and open pollinated variety-Baler with a total of 15,553 seedlings and intercrops set.

The APCDC project started on January 5, 2008 and formally established on October 2, 2008 following the signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) of the four (4) implementing agencies such as DENR, PCA, Dinalungan LGU and the provincial government where the funds earmarked for the site development, planting of mother coco palms, construction of laboratories among others for its initial operation, adding that the funding came from the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) appropriations.

Back to Alcala, he ordered the PCA’s for the massive coconut planting and replanting, saying that APCDC will play in the development of coconut industry in the entire Luzon citing the vital infrastructure access road to Central Luzon, Quirino-Madella Dipaculao, Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Cordilleras and the Aurora ecozone in Casiguran town.

Sec. Alcala, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director Atty. Malcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr. and BFAR regional director Remedios E. Otangco also launched the fish cage livelihood project in Casiguran mariculture park held at Barangay Dibacong here to provide alternative fish source of income and to contribute food security production of milkfish in addressing the needs of region 2 and 3.

They also visited the Dipaculao Multi species fish nursery where they said that the area in Sitio Lobbot, Brgy. Mijares is the most suitable area for nursery following the turn-over of patrol boat to Mr. Rex Magen, the project manager of Aurora Mariculture Park (Nursery, Hatchery, Sea Cage) to be used by the project to protect the area.  (Jason de Asis)