Ilocos Norte launches garlic ‘buy-back’ trading scheme
PASUQUIN, Ilocos Norte – The provincial government of Ilocos Norte launched its buy-back trading scheme for locally produced garlic to assure its market with negotiable price during its harvest season here.
Millennium Development Goals Office chief Edwin Cariño said the trading scheme was formally started in Pasuquin town. Forty five percent of the province’s garlic is harvested in the municipality.
“This is the first time that we implemented a garlic buy-back scheme in Ilocos Norte where the provincial government will buy garlic produce from the local growers and sell them to the national market,” he explained.
The formal launching of the program in the town was held on May 20, 2015 in time of the Manang Imee’s Capitol Express.
During the launching of the program, the provincial government initially purchased a total of 38,860 kilograms of garlic in assorted classes worth of million.
Class 1 garlic was acquired at per kilogram, Class II at per kg and Class III at per kg.
High quality seeds It was reported that whatever gain earned by the provincial government from the new scheme will eventually be felt by garlic farmers through the procurement of high quality seeds stocks for distribution.
Last year, the provincial government started to distribute 25 kilograms of quality garlic seed stocks to the selected farmers to enhance the quality of locally- produced garlic.
After the harvest season, the farmers came up with 25 kilograms quality seeds for distribution to other farmers.
“With this strategy, the harvest of quality garlic in the province is almost doubled this year as compared last year. In fact, over 4,000 tons of garlic stocks in the whole province are primarily coming from Pasuquin, Bacarra, Vintar and Pinili,” Cariño added.
Top garlic producer Considering Ilocos Norte is the country’s leading garlic supplier, producing 69 percent of total national requirement, Cariño said that provincial government is intensifying its efforts to further strengthen the production in the province as well as sustain the livelihood of Ilocano farmers.
“Governor Imee Marcos aims to promote and widen the market of garlic and the good news is that there are at least three potential big companies who are interested to partner with us,” he disclosed.
However, Marcos believed that under the “buyback” scheme, the industry will not only sustain its demand in the national market but also provide sustainable income to the local producers.
“With garlic being one of the priority cash crops in the province, the provincial government in cooperation with partner institutions also strives to develop sturdier as well as new and more productive varieties,” Cariño added.