DA sets aside P30-M loan for Batanes garlic farmers

ITBAYAT, BATANES— Hoping to increase garlic production by15 percent in 2020, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol committed P30million in loans for garlic farmers in this northernmost island town. Visiting Batanes for the first time on May 8, Piñol also promised to put up an ice plant powered by both solar energy and a diesel- fed generator, as well as a cold storage facility in Sabtang town to boost the province’s fishing trade. Batanes is known to produce the aromatic pink andwhite garlic varieties that are sold to traders for P100 a kilogram. They sell the garlic for P250 a kg in Metro Manila because transportation remains a big problem for farmers, said Felicisimo Garcia, president of the Itbayat Garlic Producers Association. The loans will be offered to farmers at the rate of P60,000 a hectare with a 6- percent annual interest.