Recognizing banana as one of the key crops grown by small-scale farmers in Tangalan, Aklan, the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program provided 500 banana suckers to the Panayakan-Lanipga Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PLMPC) to support their existing corn production project.
During a planning workshop held last year, PLMPC proposed a banana production initiative to supplement their livelihood. Although most of their land is used for rice and corn, some small plots are planted with bananas. To support this, the program delivered saba variety suckers, which are commonly grown in backyards for household use.
A quick look at the banana industry
Data from Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2020 shows that banana ranks as one of the Top 5 crop commodities being produced in the country, next to our staples like rice, corn, coconut and mango. It is one of the most economically important fruit crop commodities in the Philippines that are either consumed locally as fresh or processed.
In fact, it was stated that the Visayas region produced 64% of Saba bananas in 2020, followed by Latundan (14%), Bungulan (9%) and Lakatan (7%). It is known as a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium, making it an important part of food security for Filipinos.
In the Philippine Banana Industry Roadmap 2021-2025 released by the Department of Agriculture-High Value Crops Development Program in 2022, Western Visayas ranked 2nd with highest harvested area at 18,000 hectares (ha) for saba variety, however, it is not directly proportional to the volume of production in the area which accounts only at 10 metric tons/ha.
It further indicated the increasing need to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the banana industry, of which the program is particularly contributing to. Knowing this, the provision was pushed through under the FY 2025 livelihood package in support of the main Corn Production Project which was the main project provided in 2023.
From PLMPC banana grower
Mr. Rogelio Tabernilla, member of the PLMPC who received 95 banana suckers shared his appreciation to the planting materials he availed, “Ang planting materials makabulig sa amon gagmay nga mga mangunguma ag sa bilog na asosasyon. Malaking tulong sa akin ang mga pananim upang makabawas sa gastusin. ‘Yung harvest namin ay pwedeng ibenta at iyon ang makakatulong sa aming pamilya at sa aming araw-araw na pangangailangan.”
[The planting materials can help small farmers and the members of our association. It can serve as a start-up capital,which in turn, lessens our expenses. We could sell our harvest and the income that we can generate can help my family and could cover our daily expenses.]
The 500 suckers are expected to be planted in a 0.75 ha. land area, but the PLMPC distributed the suckers to 10 of its members with a consolidated land area of 2.22 ha (Table 1).
Table 1. Breakdown of planting materials distributed among PLMPC members
| Name of Recipient | No. of suckers received | Production Area |
| Demeterio Masula | 80 | 5,000 sqm |
| Rogelio Tabernilla | 95 | 5,000 sqm |
| Eduardo Prologo | 84 | 3,500 sqm |
| Roanie Templo | 40 | 1,000 sqm |
| Gloria Tajaran | 50 | 1,200 sqm |
| Teddy Aguelo | 40 | 1,000 sqm |
| Cyrus Magallanes | 20 | 500 sqm |
| Jesus Valentin | 70 | 4,000 sqm |
| Irene Ramella | 25 | 700 sqm |
| Mary Fe Manalang | 10 | 300 sqm |
TOTAL | 514 (The excess 14 suckers were supplementary materials in cases of mortality within the warranty period.) | 2.22 hectares |
The group plans to sell their produce within the barangay and the municipality during the harvest period. As of present, an initial policy on banana cultivation was agreed upon by the group that will guide their operation, especially the income sharing.
References:
Department of Agriculture-High Value Crops Development Program. (2022). The Philippine Banana Industry Roadmap 2021-2025. DA- Bureau of Agricultural Research. Retrieved at https://www.da.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Philippine-Banana-Industry-Roadmap.pdf
