Good Soil, Climate! Cotabato, Davao New Center For Garlic, Onion Production

Ilocos Norte Garlic and Onion farmer Joemer Salvador believes that the province of North Cotabato and the nearby areas in the Central Mindanao and Davao Regions could be the new center of Garlic and Onion Production in the country.
Joemer, who had been planting both Garlic and Onion in his native San Nicolas, Ilcocos Norte for over 40 years, returned to North Cotabato last Friday along with 14 other Ilocano farmers to start developing Demonstration farms for the two products in the towns of Mlang, Makilala and Alamada.
During his first visit to Cotabato Sept. 10, Joemer was so impressed by the soil and climate of Central Mindanao that he promised to come back and support the program of Vetmate Farma Corp. to start the development of the Garlic and Onion Industry in Mindanao.
Vetmate Farma Corp. is a Batangas-based agricultural company owned by businessman German Panghulan who had long exerted efforts to boost the country’s Garlic and Onion production.
When I invited him to send experts to take a look at the potentials of North Cotabato as a Garlic and Onion Production Area, he sent a team last month to conduct an on-site inspection.
Led by his trusted men, Sonny Bonilla and Peter Acob, the team composed of technicians from the Dept. of Agriculture in Ilocos Region and farmers, including Joemer Salvador, the team visited Alamada and Mlang last month.
Following the positive evaluation the team made, a bigger group of farmers came back last Friday to stay for two weeks in North Cotabato and open two demonstration farms, one in San Vicente, Makilala and the other in Dado and Rangayen in Alamada.
Today, the training of local farmers will commence in Makilala Demo Farm.
With the plan of Vetmate Farma Corp. to establish an Onion Cold Storage and Garlic Curing Facility in Mlang town, Central Mindanao looms as the next major production area for Garlic and Onion.
Vetmate’s Sonny Bonilla believes that the ideal climate and fertile soil of Central Mindanao will be critical factors in ensuring the success of the projects.
This could turn the whole of Mindanao as the source of Garlic and Onion which could later be exported to member countries of the BIMP-EAGA, namely Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, including Singapore.
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