PASUQUIN, Ilocos Norte – The provincial government of Ilocos Norte has launched in this town the first buy-back trading scheme for newly harvested garlic products this season.
Millennium Development Goals Office chief Edwin Cariño said forty five percent of the province’s garlic crops is harvested in the municipality.
Under the scheme, the PGIN buys garlic produce from the local growers and sell them in the national market,” he explained.
It was launched during the Manang Imee’s Capitol Express held here last May 20, 2015. PGIN had initially purchased a total of 38,860 kilograms of garlic in assorted classes valued at P3 million.
Class 1 garlic was priced at P84 per kilogram, Class II at P77 per kg and Class III at P70 per kg.
Any profit earned under the scheme will be used to procure high quality seeds stocks for distribution to the garlic farmers, MDG office said.
Last year, PGIN distributed 25 kilograms of quality garlic seed stocks to the selected farmers for the crop production.
As a result after the harvest season, the farmers produced 25 kilograms quality seeds which were distributed again to the other farmers.
“With this strategy, the harvested quality garlic crops in the province almost doubled this year compared to last year. In fact, over 4,000 tons of garlic stocks came from Pasuquin, Bacarra, Vintar and Pinili,” Cariño added.
As the country’s leading garlic supplier at 69 percent of total national requirement, Ilocos Norte is expected to further strengthen its production in order to sustain this income-generating livelihood of Ilocano farmers.
“Governor Imee Marcos targets a wider market of our local garlic products and the good news is that there are at least three potential big companies which are interested to partner with us,” he said. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
