Batanes Greening Program

BASCO, Batanes, October 21 -- The Department of Agrarian Reform here has committed 1.5 hectares of public domain land for the Billion Trees and National Greening Program of the environment department.

According to Agrarian Officer Flordeliz Come, the said lot will be planted with trees for the period of six years, starting this year up to 2016.

Come said under the leadership of Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer Felix Alvarez, DAR has been extensively carrying out significant activities to support the NGP such as establishment of a nursery for seedling production and a tree farm at Rakuh a Payaman in Mahatao.

She also said that John Gato, DAR-Community Agrarian Reform program oficer has volunteered his lot in Sitio Malayo, Barangay San Antonio, Basco to be utilized as nursery for seedling production.

“DAR Batanes saw the need to establish a nursery for seedling production and preliminary activities
were done such as cleaning the area, potting and planting of seedlings of Arius, Mabolo and Palo-maria,” the agrarian official added.

A total of 1,600 seedlings were potted in June 2011 and 1,400 of it were planted the following month.
For the tree farm, MARO Agnes Viñas coordinated with Mayor Pedro F. Poncio of Mahatao, for a 1.8 hectare portion of the communal pastureland to be designated as permanent area for DAR and the Mahatao Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries association.

Kick off activity was the planting of two mango seedlings per employee and after a month, the fencing of the area was also done. Each employee also gave three posts and contributed an amount for the purchase of two rolls of barb wire to secure the area from astray animals.

Last month, the indigenous trees propagated at the nursery in Malayo Basco were traded with grafted carabao mango seedlings from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. These, along with langka and guayabano seedlings were planted at the tree farm.

To date, an initial 1,400 seedlings have been planted at the tree farm and the DAR officials said through their regular schedule of tree planting, the completion of their target number of trees for the NGP will be fast tracked.

The DAR personnel are also continuously protecting and monitoring the status of the planted seedlings as well as continuous propagation of fruit-bearing seedlings, ornamental trees, local trees and hardwood trees. (Batanes Islands)