“Hot Pablo” to come out from Typhoon Pablo-hit areas

DAVAO CITY, Aug. 08 (PIA):   President Benigno S. Aquino III yesterday bared the brand name “Hot Pablo” as a label for black pepper and chili-based food seasoning products which is planned to be produced in Typhoon Pablo-hit areas.

In a press conference this morning held after addressing the Mindanao Business Conference (Minbizcon), President Aquino mentioned the production of “paminta” (black pepper) in areas devastated by Typhoon Pablo as this  can be quickly planted,  cultivated and processed.

He bared  the recent P2.4 million worth exports of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) of such product in Singapore and Brunei Darussalam,  and he cited  such sales as just the beginning of  the potential market for “paminta.”

Noting the lucrative potential of paminta,  President Aquino revealed that producing such would only require about P90,000 per hectare investment, yielding about P200,000 gross per hectare while the net  is estimated to run about P100,000.

He has tasked DTI Secretary GregoryDomingo and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alacala to work together to set up consolidators “to market this particular product.”

In a separate interview, DTI Davao Oriental Provincial Director Bel Ambi identified a Davao Oriental buyer and producer of chili products named Ricky Arezola  whom DTI assisted to  join the International Food Expo (EFEX) held in Manila in April this year.

“Fortunately, he was the only one selling chili products  at that time. He has domestic buyers and he has  buyers from Singapore and Brunei Darussalam,” she said, revealing Porky Best and Mama Sita as among the institutional chili buyers of Arezola.

It was during that IFEX when DTI discovered the potential market of chili products and the resiliency of chili plants to survive storms “based on his experience,” Ambi said referring to Arezola.

DTI was expecting Arezola would fail to join the IFEX but he was able to make it because he had stored enough volume of dried chili and that some of his chili plants recovered from typhoon Pablo.

So when DTI together with other agencies met in a planning session regarding Typhoon Pablo rehabilitation, DTI thought of promoting growing chili for the typhoon-affected families.

Ambi revealed Secretary Rene Almendras , head of Task Force Pablo, first thought of coining the brand name “Hot Pablo” to put  leverage on  efforts of rebuilding the farm production of areas devastated by Typhoon Pablo.

DTI is working with DA which has targeted to initially plant within the year, 20 hectares of chili through intercropping, involving 200 farmers , but  Ambi revealed  that  DA is eyeing 1,000 hectares for chili production until 2015. 

Basing on estimates, Ambi  said that for every 1,000 square meters of land planted with chili, a farmer will earn as much as P65,000.0.  (PIA XI/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)