The onions that are harvested in Nueva Vizcaya (Photo courtesy of FAFOGGA).
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (PIA) – Nueva Vizcaya has all the potential to become the “Spice Capital” of the Philippines, a Department of Agriculture official has said.
DA Regional Director Rose Mary Aquino said the “spice capital” tag has been deliberated on by regional officials, which they will soon propose to the DA national office.
Further, Aquino said Nueva Vizcaya is now a major producer of high-quality onions, ginger, and garlic products that could compete with imported ones.
“Given the needed technologies and post-harvest facilities, Nueva Vizcaya can match imported spice products,” Aquino said.
The DA regional chief said they are pouring in major assistance to the province to inspire and encourage spice farmers to sustain their agricultural trade and expand their plantations.
Recently, DA Undersecretary for High-Value Crops Development Program Cherry Marie Natividad-Caballero inspected and visited the ongoing construction of the onion cold storage in Barangay Santa Maria in Dupax del Sur.
Also, the DA assisted the Abuyo Onion Farmers Association, while the municipal government of Alfonso Castañeda was set to receive P61.2 million worth of onion seed assistance and a cold storage facility.
Earlier, the department established two onion cold storage facilities in the municipality of Aritao to help farmers preserve their products in time for their high market price.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Aritao Farmers Onion, Garlic, and Ginger Growers Association serves as the driving force in the production and development of high-quality onions and other spice products.
Carol Albay, High-Value Crops Development Program coordinator, said the municipality of Aritao has 700 hectares of agricultural land planted with onions, while the whole province has a total of 1,634.95 hectares devoted to onion farming.
Nueva Vizcaya’s onion farmers start planting from November to December, and the harvest season is from March to April, with lean months falling from August to October each year.
But Albay said onion farming in the province is expanding even in upland areas, which require more interventions from the DA.
Aritao Mayor Remelina Peros-Galam said the number of their spice farmers has increased from 1,300 to 1,600 because of the post-harvest facility support given by the DA and the provision of land as the counterpart of their local government unit.
The DA-funded onion cold storage facilities are co-managed by the LGU and Farmers Cooperative Associations.
Aritao town is recognized by the DA as the “Onion Capital” in Cagayan Valley, where the yearly Onion (Panagsisibuyas) Festival is held in March each year. (OTB/BME/PIA NVizcaya)
