BUGA Ubi Demo Farm also eyed as agri-tourism destination

The Bohol Ubi Growers Association (BUGA) Ubi Demo Farm which is strategically located in a tranquil agricultural area in Pandol, Corella is eyed to be another agri-tourism destination in Bohol to prove that the province is known for the different varieties of Ubi especially the “Kinampay.”
The farm has a total area of 1.1 hectares (has.) if fully developed in a lot owned by the Maligsa brothers Cresencio and Esmeraldo of which the latter is the president of BUGA.
The area is being developed into a demo farm in collaboration with the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office (DA-RFO)-7.
Rufa Ugay, High Value Commercial Crop (HVCC) coordinator, OPA said that the PGBh has provided the inputs to BUGA such as; Ubi planting materials, fertilizers and cultivator.
Ugay bared that close to 12 metric tons of Ubi Baligonhon variety planting materials were dispersed by provincial government to the association and the 250 sacks of organic fertilizer.
She explained that in the dispersal program, the association would need only to return back the same number of kilos and will be rolled out to the Ubi growers to be planted in the next planting season.
BUGA president Maligsa said that of the 1.1 has. about 6,000 square meters (sq.m.) have been developed and hopefully next planting season the entire area would be fully tilled.
Maligsa said that of the close to 12 metric tons of Ubi planting materials in the dispersal program of the PGBh 2,000 kilograms (kgs.) of it were being planted at the demo farm and the almost 10,000 kgs. were being dispersed to Ubi growers who are members of BUGA.
He said that the DA-RFO7 also gave 300 kilos of Ubi Kinampay planting material and were being planted at the demo farm.
Maligsa has a high hope that more Ubi tubers could be sold on the next Ubi Festival come January considering the big volume of Ubi dispersal by the PGBh to the Ubi growers.
The BUGA president said that once the harvesting time comes, the growers must set aside the equal number of kilos to be returned back to the OPA for the dispersal program.
Meanwhile, Maligsa bared that the association has a plan to construct a rest house to shelter the visitors especially from the provincial government and for the Ubi growers themselves when rains come in time of land preparation, growing and harvesting of UBi.
Rosanna G. Lamdagan, chief-agribusiness Division, OPA said that Ubi is among the crop together with rice, corn, and cacao that have to be given top priorities in the administration of Gov. Art C. Yap to expand the production to ensure food sustainability in the province.
In an effort that the BUGA Ubi Demo Farm would become a agri-tourism destination, she said the possibility is not remote considering the strategic location of the farm in a peaceful barangay of Pandol, Corella which has a very fresh air being surrounded with trees and free from noise pollution of which only the voices of birds that are singing while perching on the branches of the trees being heard. (Atoy Cosap)

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BUGA UBI DEMO FARM. Some 1.1 hectares of Ubi demo farm located in Pandol, Corella is also eyed to become an agri-tourism destination in the province of Bohol. The 6,000 square meters of this area are already planted with different varieties of Ubi especially the Ubi Kinampay. When visited by the OPA personnel led by Rosanna G. Lamdagan last Tuesday, the standing crop is growing to almost two meters long. Photo by Alfredo Amora, Jr.