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Written by Gelly

Friday, 29 May 2009

Banga FITS Center in Banga, Aklan

In September 2008, after typhoon Frank devastated the fruit plantation in Banga, Aklan, constituents realized that they did not have available high-value fruit tree cultivars which they needed in the implementation of a local government funded livelihood project in the amount of P0.9M.

To look for the high-quality planting materials needed, the Banga Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) Center, through its manager Gelly R. Maypa, asked Dr. Bessie Burgos, Director of the Technology Outreach and Promotion Division of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD-TOPD), via text message for a contact person from any PCARRD consortium that could supply the said materials.

Accordingly, Dr. Burgos recommended the Regional Techno Gabay (RTG) coordinators of the Southern Mindanao Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (SMARRDEC) and the Cotabato Agricultural Research Resource and Development Consortium (CARRDEC) and gave their contact details.

Some 9,000 grafted planting materials were delivered to FITS Banga in October 2008

FITS Manager Maypa then emailed both contact persons and inquired about the availability and prices of their Large Planting Materials (LPMs). It took a number of follow-up queries before it was settled and finally arranged in March 2008 for CARRDEC to be the official supplier of their LPMs.

After a number of emails sent to RTG Coordinator Cayetano Pomares, FITS Banga finally contracted the services of Dr. Pablito Pamplona, Plant Breeder and consultant of High Value Fruit and Industrial Crops Plantation who is also a consultant to the USM Muslim Women Livelihood Plant Nursery Project in Kabacan, North Cotabato.

By way of the Online DBM RTWG Desk query, FITS Banga conferred with a consultant and the FITS Manager and Budget Officer were given pointers by DBM on how to transact with a bidder from outside of Region 6.

Since no other bidder signified, the prospective supplier contacted FITS Banga via cellular phone and finally closed the deal in September 2008.

Barangay captains, agricultural technologists and farmers listened attentively to Dr. Pamplona as he shared about the culture of mangosteen and longkong high value cultivars.

Through the use of ICT equipment awarded to FITS Banga - cell phones and Internet connection, its need for available LPMs was met.

The delivery of 9,000 grafted LPMs to include durian, mangosteen, longkong, sweet seedless pomelo and mandarin was made in October 2008. A one-day seminar on the care and management of these planting materials was given by Dr. Pamplona, with the barangay captains, farmer recipients, agricultural technologists and municipal officials headed by Hon. Municipal Mayor Hon. Antonio T. Maming in attendance. The seminar was followed by the distribution of planting materials to twenty-eight barangays comprising 6,780 farming household beneficiaries.