Calamansi juice chosen in community project
CALAMBA, MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL -- A women's organization in this town is
promoting ready-to-drink calamansi juice, as part of its initiative to
address poverty in the community through assistance from the regional
office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE-10).
Ezel T. Villanueva, Association of Barangay Council president in this
town, has initiated the project for additional income to her
constituents specifically the women's group Kababayen-an sa Southwestern
Poblacion Nagkahiusa, or Kaspon.
Ms. Villanueva said calamansi juice is saleable because of its health
benefits. Kaspon is also targeting neighboring towns as its initial market.
Johnson G. Canete, DoLE-10 regional director, said the regional office
has released P116,000 to the project proponent. DoLE has a funding
program, he said, that supports women's sector livelihood projects in
Northern Mindanao.
"Using one's resources to good use and increasing it a hundredfold is
[the objective] of DoLE's livelihood grant that contributes to the
government's national agenda of reducing poverty," Mr. Canete said,
adding that this will be DoLE's early Christmas gift to the town
especially the women's sector.
Kaspon has been operating since last year through the help of the
Philippine Australian Livelihood Sustainability Program, which provided
the project's starting capital.
Kaspon President Lilian T. Jumalon said that the additional income,
especially with the help from DoLE, could put food on the members'
tables and send their children to school.
Ms. Jumalon said the project was viable and could be sustained since raw
materials are abundantly produced in the town as well as in nearby
municipalities of Baliangao in Misamis Occidental and Rizal in Lanao del
Norte.
In 2011, the research and social outreach unit of Xavier University's
College of Agriculture drafted a plan to develop a training module
consisting of steps and guidelines in the production of crops that could
withstand climate change. Among these crops are calamansi and other
short-gestation citrus fruits that could address the farmers' needs for
additional income.
This plan was developed when the university hosted the first Calamansi
Forum in Cagayan de Oro City during the same year where various concerns
on the development of the region's calamansi industry surfaced during
discussions with leaders of farmers' groups and representatives of
government line agencies.
The issues raised were dealt mainly with infrastructure support such as
farm-to-market roads, soil analysis and testing, policy and
organizational support, job opportunities for local communities, wastage
reduction from calamansi harvests, and support technologies available.
-- Nef T. Luczon
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