BANGUED, Abra (PIA) — “Nu awan daytoy unas, narigataka nakapabasa,” shared farmer Marlon Cortez, who plants sugarcane and produces muscovado, cascaron, and other products that satisfy sweet cravings.
(Without sugarcane, it was hard for me to send my children to school.)
For Cortez, the sugarcane business serves as an additional livelihood to farming communities in Barangay Agtangao in the capital town of Bangued.
Additional Income
Aside from rice and vegetables, sugarcane is one of the agricultural products of Bangued with a concentration of sugarcane farmers in Barangay Agtangao and nearby sitios.
Farmers here plant sugarcane as an alternative crop usually between the months of December to April.
“Dakkel nga tulong daytoy ta nu awan daytoy nga unas ta dayta irik lang ket awan, kurang,” Cortez explained.
[The sugarcane is a big help, the palay is not sufficient.]
Cortez, who was able to send his three children to school, encouraged other farmers to give the sugarcane business a try.
“Padasen da met ta napintas met nga pagsapulan. Tinarigat lang met ket ti mapan ka agtubbo ken agmulangem nu maisangpet mo ditoy [balay] ket lining metten tiayan mo,” he shared.
(Try it, it’s a good source of income. What is difficult is when you cultivate and plant.)
He explained the process of turning sugarcane into marketable products involves harvesting the sugarcane, extracting the sugarcane juice using a machine, and cooking it into various products such as muscovado, ‘pakubbo’ or sugarcane candy, and cascaron.
“Awanen dagidiay kayo [nga pangdapil]. Mas napaspaspas tattan. Nu kuma idi ket haan pay lang nalutodigidiay umuna,” Cortez explained.
(We no longer use wood to extract sugar cane juice. It’s faster now.)
Sweet Delicacies
After extracting the sugarcane juice, Cortez and his family start lighting up a big cooking vat to cook the sugar cane juice until it thickens into a caramel-like texture.
It is then continuously stirred until it cools down and dries up. The sugarcane extract is pounded and pulverized into fine muscovado sugar.
During the process, farmers can also make ‘pakubbo,’ a sweet hardened sugar cane syrup or candy that they eat as a snack while working in the fields.
Aside from candies, cascaron, one of Abra’s favorite local snacks, is also made from flour, grated coconut meat, and sugarcane syrup.
After molding the flour and adding in the grated coconut meat, the balls of flour are cooked in hot sugarcane syrup until it is coated with the caramelized sugarcane juice.
The cascaron is usually sold in the morning as snacks at the Bangued Public Market or by order.
Sugarcane farmers also produce basi or sugarcane vinegar, sugarcane wine, and other products.
Culture and Tradition
The sugarcane industry is among the age-old traditions of Bangued locals with the town’s Dapil Festival inspired by ‘Panagdapil’ or the traditional method of extracting sugarcane juice. This festival, celebrated every month of February, highlights the sugarcane industry and culture of Bangued.
“1985 nga nagrugiak agdapil, ubingak pay lang idiaginggana tatta nga adda asawak ket agdap-dapilakpay,” Cortez shared.
He plans to share this business that he inherited from his parents with his children.
“Isursurok metlang kadagiti annak ta no haan da makaserrek ti trabaho ket isuda metten ti sumublatkanyak,” he added.
[I teach my children how to do the trade so that in case they do not get employed, they will take over the business.]
More than a local delicacy and local product, cascaron and other sugarcane products from Barangay Agtangaoalso carry stories and the culture of generations of Abrenians. (JJMT, PIA-CAR, Abra)
