Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Planting of Cavendish banana in DavOr town, prohibited



SAN ISIDRO, Davao Oriental, 21 June (PIA)--- Planting of Cavendish banana is banned in San Isidro,    Municipal Mayor Justina Yu said over the weekend.

In an interview during the 50th founding day of the municipality, Mayor Yu revealed that the Municipal Council recently passed an ordinance prohibiting the planting of Cavendish banana anywhere in  the province including those turned over to small  farmers through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

She wanted to spare the rare species of insects, butterflies and even plants from dying and getting extinct in later years due to  pesticides and harmful  chemicals that could reach  through air, the Mt Hamiguitan declared by  UNESCO as World Heritage Site.

“We might be delisted eventually,” she said referring to the UNESCO inscription of Mt. Hamiguitan known for its untouched rare flora and fauna.

She revealed that agents of banana plantation companies had lobbied for permission to  plant through contracts with CARP owners who, Yu said, also showed resistance to such municipal policy.

To assist CARP landowners, Yu had mobilized the  farm technicians of the Municipal Government  to check soil quality of lands under CARP and  assist owners to make their lands productive.

Water system had been installed and that necessary land preparation had already been made, she said.

Meanwhile,  Mayor Yu appealed to  fellow local government leaders especially those at the provincial level to spare San Isidro from  mining and to  help her protect it from illegal cutting of trees and illegal fishing.

“Please leave San Isidro as your crown, your jewel.  Let it not be touched by mining, by illegal cutting of trees and let our seas be untouched by illegal fishing methods,”  Yu said while addressing the same message to her constituents.

She made the call based on observation that most of the towns in the province of Davao Oriental had already been accommodating mining activities.  (PIA 11/Jeanevive Duron Abangan)

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