“I did not come here to deliver big and ambitious promises and commitments. I came here to deliver realistic interventions.”

This was how Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol welcomed the Indigenous People (IP’s) during the “Tapatan: Gobyerno ug Katawhan”, a summit intended for IP leaders and farmers held at Malapatan, Sarangani, on March 23, 2018.

The event themed “Indigenous people in agriculture for sustainable development” gathered over 700 farmers, fisherfolks and IP leaders.

During the summit, the agri chief encouraged the IPs to take part in the programs of the government specifically the Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo (4K), a comprehensive program intended to help in the development of the Tribal Communities.

4K, which was designed by the Secretary himself under the directive of President Duterte, requires an IP family in ancestral domains to identify a five-hectare area program to be used as a tree farm.

The family will then have access to a P300,000 no interest/no collateral loan under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, which is payable upon harvest.

“The are must have a 500-tree per hectare population,” Piñol stressed.

The loan will be released on a monthly basis at P5,000 per month on the assumption that the 4K families will ensure that all 500 trees are growing. The family will also be given a monthly maintenance incentive of two pesos per tree.

“IP’s are very familiar with the planting of trees this is why I have considered this in the conceptualization of the program.” Piñol added.

Falcata and Gmelina arborea trees, which are known for their use in paper, plywood, furniture, and veneer will be used for the project.

“These species are used in tree farming extensively,” the agri chief said.

Piñol underscored that additional income opportunities may be sourced from planting Cacao, Coffee, Black Pepper or Abaca under these trees.

The Department of Agriculture estimates that gross income may reach to P1-M per hectare in 5 years, or a total of P5-M. Less all the incurred expenses and the P300,000 loan, the families are expected to earn not less than P4-M.

During the same event, the agri chief also turned over a total of P311,000 worth of agri interventions composed of Rice and Corn Seeds, various planting materials, organic fertilizer and Abaca seedlings.

Piñol also signed DA’s commitment on the allocation of funds of the for IP’s totaling to P693-M for the establishment of Farm to Market Roads, agro and livestock production. ### (Carlos Cezar Baldosa, DA-AFID)