BANGUED, Abra (PIA) – Sweet and juicy watermelons are perfect to beat the summer heat, but in a barangay in Bangued, Abra, watermelons are planted not for the fruit but for its seeds.
Around the months of February and March, farmers in Barangay Sappaac give away watermelons, except for the seeds.
Farmer Eddie Pascual, who has been planting watermelons since 2012, shared that he was able to earn a total of P80,000 from selling around 50 kilos of watermelon seeds last year.
“Adda met maipundar mi nu maited da diayay bayad na. Nakapundar met ti tao ti tricycle ken balay maipanggep ti panagmula iti sandia,” he said.
[We can buy/build something if they give us the payment. We were able to acquire a tricycle, and a house from our income from planting watermelons.]
Through membership in the Abra Vegetable Seed Growers Development Cooperative (AVSECO), farmers are linked up with seed companies to ensure a market for the seeds they produce.
Pascual explained that under their contract with the East West Seed Company, farmers are given seeds to pollinate, and grow. After harvest, farmers will collect the seeds to be sold to the company.
“Diayay lang bukel na talaga ti al-alan da nanipud nga damo mi nga agmula. Ipagel da nga aglako ti . Daytoy seeds lang talaga al-alaen da,” he said.
[It is only the seeds that the company buys ever since we started planting watermelons.]
He added that having a definite buyer is better than planting products without a sure market. Pascual said being a member of a cooperative and being linked up with a market helped him have a good source of income.
“Adda met pagsayaatan ti biag. Mayat ti kita metlang ti kastoy nu maalagaam ti husto metlaeng,” he added.
[The income is good in this venture as long you take good care of it.]
Bangued Municipal Agriculturist Marites Balling said that watermelons have become high value crops for farmers in some barangays of the municipality such as Maoay, Sappaac, and Palao.
“Ditoy Bangued, dagitoy rain-fed areas tayo nga one cropping da lang for rice, ti second cropping da ket daytoy sandia,” she explained.
[Here in Bangued, the rain-fed areas have one cropping for rice, and the second cropping is for watermelons.]
She also said that farmers in some barangays are already shifting from planting tobacco to planting watermelons because of the lower production costs. Aside from lower costs, Balling also emphasized the importance of cooperatives in consolidating farmers’ produce and establishing a sure market for these products.
“Ti farmers nu adda mula da ket biroken da latta met ti market na, so after planting of rice ket ag-sandia da metten ta ammo dan nga adda market nga ag-ururay,” she said.
[The farmers look for a market for their products, so after the rice crop, they plant watermelon because they know that there is a market waiting.]
The municipal agriculturist also shared the assistance that the government extends to help farmers. The municipal agriculture office conducts technical assistance, and validation of areas for irrigation, and other services.
“After panagmula da ti pagay ket kasapulan da ti danum tapnu napintas ti production da ti watermelon so, ti opisina ket umay met i-assist dagitoy, through the farmers associations, nu anya dagitoy kasapulan ti farmers tayo tapno ma-sustain da met daytoy livelihood dagitoy farmers tayo,” she shared.
Bangued is an agricultural town that produces rice, sugarcane, corn, and watermelons among others. (JJPM-PIA Abra)
