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| The Philippine
Star, Agriculture/Environment, Sunday, December 1, 2002
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One man's
forest of desire gets bigger and bigger |
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by Ramon Ma.
Epino |
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Pomologist Bernardo O. Dizon
finally gets his wish for a bigger orchard of exotic fruit
trees in the city which gives easy access to interested
entrepreneurs.
After
10 years of successfully pursuing his passion for fruit
trees he gets only 4,000 square meters but also another 20
years extension (renewable for another 20 years) to his
10-year contract.
No less than the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) makes sure that Dizon could continue with
his good work and influence agri-entrepreneurs along the
way. The new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) enjoins Dizon to
establish more techno-demo farms to attract more investors.
This time, each type of fruit tree would have its own farm
site, making for several orchards - unlike before where
different types of fruit trees were planted near each other
in one site.
It began on June 8, 1992 with the signing of a MOA
between then DENR Secretary Fulgencio S. Factoran Jr. and
pomologist Bernardo O. Dizon. The latter was awarded a lease
of 10 years for 500 square meters by the DENR's Protected
Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) and got his wish.
In the piece of barren, waterlogged land at the Ninoy
Parks and Wildlife Nature Center in Quezon City - he put up
his dream project.
In 10 years, he had a demonstration garden / orchard of
exotic fruit trees serving as a techno-demo learning center
where he conducts regular Sunday seminars and technology
demonstrations for free to the public. |
| Dizon
will establish, maintain and operate a
demonstration garden that will showcase multiple
rootstock techniques for various fruit-bearing
trees |
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There's no secret to the
success of Dizon's project - hard work, expertise and
selfless fixation with fruit trees and farmers /
entrepreneurs where the MOA with Factoran assigned Dizon
with the following tasks:
Dizon will establish, maintain and operate a
demonstration garden that will serve as a showcase for
multiple rootstock techniques for Millennium and Guimaras
mangoes, chico varieties, mangosteen, rambutan, longkong,
duku lanzones, lychee, apple makopa, Magallanes pummelo and
many other local and foreign fruits.
More-over, the garden should show farmers, orchard
owners and backyard growers that traditional (mango) and
non-traditional fruit trees (lychee, orange, rambutan,
durian, pummelo and many others) are potential dollar savers
and even dollar earners.
For successfully doing his part of the MOA, the next
DENR secretary, Victor O. Ramos, with the comment "excellent
work" approved an additional 1,500 square meters for Dizon's
project on June 11, 1998. His garden - by now, totaling
2,000 square meters - is now a-bloom with a myriad of
fruits.
In the new agreement, Dizon, in addition to the past
conditions of the other MOA with Factoran and Ramos, is
enjoined to propagate investors' interests in fruit tree
farming with seminars and demonstration and provision of
seeds.
Dizon sees the project as an opportunity: "I welcome
the thrust of DENR on fruit trees, among others, and its
trust in me I will do my very best to prove them right." |
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