MANILA, Philippines – Five years ago, Zamboanga del Norte was listed as the poorest province in the country. Today, it has gone up a couple of notches. It is now listed as the third poorest but don’t be surprised if in the next few years, it could surpass several more provinces in its march to progress.

Gov. Rolando E.Yebes is determined to improve the economic status of his 1.2 million constituents through agricultural development. He says that the right strategy of development for the province is through agriculture and not industrialization.

He says that 80 percent of the 730,000 hectares in the province are suitable for agricultural production. Before, the main crops were coconut, rice and corn. Today, the emphasis is corn and high-value vegetables. Why corn? Because there is a ready market for the harvests of the farmers. The feedmills in Cebu and Batangas are big buyers of the corn produced in Zamboanga del Norte.

One program that has been successful in improving the life of many farmers is his Hilly Land Greening Program or Hi-Green which assists groups of farmers in different barangays to undertake their food production projects.

Under the Hi-Green project, groups of farmers in one barangay are assisted in producing commercial volumes of crops. In one barangay, for instance, a group of farmers can work on three to ten hectares of land. The land could be a property of the government or it could be lent to the group by a private landowner.

The provincial government assists the farmers in planning what to produce for a target market. Then the farmers work on the land. The provincial government provides the seeds required, fertilizers (both organic and chemical), implements like spade, spading fork, sprayers and others. It also provides the water pump needed in watering the crops.

Usually, 20 people may work together on three hectares or 35 farmers in five hectares, and so on. The selected crops should be produced in big volume so that they could be more attractive to traders or big buyers. All the sales from the harvest of the farmers accrue to them. The provincial government does not get anything.

Gov. Yebes explains that the government actually indirectly benefits from the subsidy that it provides the farmers. For one, it creates employment for his constituents. He said that out of 691 barangays in the whole province, 260 barangays have Hi-Green projects which are highly productive. They are growing the latest hybrid vegetables from East-West Seed Company. The seed company has been helping the farmers by training them on the improved techniques of vegetable production.

Gov. Yebes said that Hi-Green is actually a means of creating jobs for his constituents. He estimates that no less than 1,500 people work in the farm projects in 260 barangays. That means that there are that number of people who don’t have to pester the governor for employment.

The farmers are now producing a lot of vegetables so much so that they are now exporting their produce to Cebu City, Bacolod City and Bohol. The provincial government is also active in helping the farmers to market their produce. The provincial agriculturist, for instance, has assigned some personnel to talk to possible vegetable buyers in Cebu and other major cities.

Also, when there is a big volume of harvest that needs to be delivered to Cebu, the province lends its truck to the group of farmers. All the farmers have to pay is the fuel. Some farmers’ groups, according to the governor, may deliver four to five tons of eggplant or tomatoes in one week. Other crops are ampalaya, squash, string beans, pepper, patola, upo, okra, cucumber and others.

Gov. Yebes says that it only takes eight hours for the vegetables from Zamboanga del Norte to reach Cebu City by Roro.

Aside from high-value crops, Gov. Yebes is now integrating farm animals in his Hi-Green program. He is advocating the raising of native chickens which even the small farmers can do. Another is native pigs and goats. Then there is aquaculture. He says that he has produced fingerlings for dispersal of Pangasius, a fast-growing freshwater fish that is very hardy and can be raised by ordinary fish farmers.

Gov. Yebes is a lawyer who started as a customs police officer, eventually becoming the Iloilo Port Customs Collector before he decided to run for governor of his province in 2004. During his first term, as governor, he was able to build a modern hospital with 300 beds at a cost of P299 million.

He undertook a poverty mapping program in order to be able to carry out appropriate projects for his provincemates. As a result of his good performance, he received the Lingkod Bayan Award for governance in 2007.

Aside from agriculture, Zamboanga del Norte has a lot of potential for tourism. There are a number of islands with beaches that could easily rival that of Boracay. There are also historical places one of which is Dapitan where our national hero, Jose Rizal, lived in exile.

One tourism attraction that Gov. Yebes started in Dipolog City is the Hudyaka Festival held in June. This is a merry-making festival complete with an agricultural fair. It has become so popular that it is now considered as the fourth among the country’s most attended festivals. It is only behind the Sinulog of Cebu, Maskara of Bacolod and Dinagyang of Iloilo.

Zamboanga del Norte is also well known for its tasty mackerel which some entrepreneurs process into bottled sardines. Gov. Yebes claims their marine fishes are much more tasty than those of other places because their marine waters are unpolluted.

By ZAC B. SARIAN

Source: Zambo del Norte's Hi-Green program