San Francisco, Agusan del Sur --- The Philippine Coconut Authority-CARAGA (PCA-CARAGA) headed by Regional Manager Joel Oclarit, led the ceremonial planting of PCA-produced hybrid variety Catigan dwarf crossed with Baybay tall on a 15-hectare coconut hybrid demo farm located in Ormaca, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur on September 9, 2020.

COLLABORATION. Ceremonial planting led by the PCA RXIII Regional Manager III Joel B. Oclartit for the establishment of a 15-hectare coconut hybrid farm at Ormaca, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur. Together with the NGPI Coops officers and PCA staff.

The hybrid demo farm will showcase the advantages of planting hybrid varieties which has a potential optimum yield of 136 nuts/tree/year. Presently, local varieties planted in the region only has an average produce of 48 nuts/tree/year, which is far behind compared to the yield of the hybrid varieties.

The seednuts for the demo farm were part of the 20,000 hybrid nuts allocation produced and delivered from one of the PCA seedgardens in NCSPC, Aroman, Carmen, North Cotabato.

This project is in collaboration with NGPI cooperative who owns the land, who plan to produce coconut sap sugar once the coconut trees start to bear fruit.

The activity was also attended by the Acting Division Chief of PCA Agusan Provinces, Engr. Angelita M. Espinosa; PDO-IV Grace S. Orilla, PCA Agusan del Sur personnel, NGPI Coop officers led by Mr. Edgar Acolentava, Raul Batiao and Nestor Alcular.

“Establishment of coconut hybrid demo farms will encourage more people to plant an early-bearing and high-yielding coconut variety, instead of the conventional ones” Oclarit said. ### (PCA CARAGA)