Author Topic: Oil Palm in Bohol a Big Failure  (Read 4374 times)

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Oil Palm in Bohol a Big Failure
« on: April 22, 2012, 07:49:16 PM »
Published by Bohol Standard

Pilar, Bohol - It was the flagship project of then Gov. Erico Aumentado.

Now it’s the turn of this town. Municipal lawmakers here have asked the provincial government of Bohol through Resolution No. 037, series of 2012, it recently passed, “to initiate (an) investigation of the plight of the oil palm planters” in this interior town.

Earlier, Mabini Oil Palm Grower’s Association led by Ms. Evelyn Figueroa as president has cried for help in this regard and requested the province for a copy of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) and data “with regards to the economic survey of the Bohol Palm Oil Industry.”

Pilar Sangguniang Bayan said that reports reaching them “of rampant sale of these lands by the owners for reasons of fear of forfeiture by the (First Consolidated) bank due to non-payment of the loan since aside from low productivity their produce are not taken immediately and left to rot at the area.”

It said that considerable tract of lands in the barangays here has been planted with oil palm trees with a loan with the said bank.

The claim of rush sale of land planted with oil palm trees is being validated by the presence of buyers from Kadingilan, a town of Bukidnon province, who are here for buying spree at low prices. The lawmakers expressed apprehension that “majority of the people would lose their ownership in favor of these buyers.”

The said Resolution is furnished to Gov. Edgar M. Chatto, Vice-Gov. Concepcion Lim and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan she chairs. It is sponsored by Kag. Adolfo H. Espuelas and signed by Vice-Mayor Wilfredo L. Bernante and Mayor Wilson Pajo and certified by SB Sec. Gualberto B. Jaspe.

In an exclusive interview last week, Figueroa said that growers are now facing problems after they adopted the planting of the oil palm trees. She did not, however, specifically mention what are these but apparently she was hinting to parcels of lands.

She said her family has about 40 hectares of about 500 planted to the crop in Mabini alone. She hinted they are losing in the oil palm business venture.

The Philippine Agricultural Land Development and Mills Incorporated (PALM Inc) has presented, earlier, to the provincial government for oil palm proposal for a farmer to plant oil palm trees in his land considered inhospitable to rice and other crops. PALM Inc. is maintaining and operating oil palm mills in Matin-ao Carmen town of this province.

The provincial government set the terms that PALM Inc. and farmer through contract growing would only utilize the so-called “idle lands” for planting and growing oil palm trees.

“Planting its business through contract growing schemes to farmers who can not plant rice in the rolling terrains of central Bohol, PALM Inc. eyes covering idle lands by putting up oil palms, giving technical expertise and facilitating credit for farm collaterals,” said a news report.

It added, “PALM Inc. presentor and company’s Malaysian mills chief operations officer Chee Kong Chang however clarified that contract-growing invitation does not include farmers engaged in rice production.”

The company in late 1990s started to have contracted “some 2,100 families and has succeeded in putting up the green cover for 6,500 hectares of otherwise idle lands. “Now wanting to maximize its oil palm production, PALM Inc. eyes covering 20,000 hectares of Bohol’s idle lands to hit mill operations at 3 tons per hour, Chang told the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce Chair. The palm, which has a peak production at 9-15 years could hand in at least P90T a hectare a year, and could be productive for the next 25-30 years,” PALM Inc. was quoted as saying.

Farmer’s contention

Bohol is one of the provinces in Central Visayas being targeted to be grown with oil pal, claimed Farmers Development Center (FARDEC) as former President GMA “major projects.” “The Provincial government under Gov. Aumentado has earmarked lands in the rural areas and convinced the farmers that it will boost their income and encourage development,” it said.

The municipalities of Alicia, Dagohoy, Mabini, Pilar, Bien Unido, Danao, Talibon, Trinidad, Carmen, Buenavist,a Inabanga, Getafe, Pilar, San Miguel, Sagbayan, Ubay, Jagna are the goal of the company. The towns of Garcia-Hernandez and Calape were added to the list. “ The original 11 municipalities has a total land area of 123,432 hectares wherein PALM Inc. identified 45,000 hectares as potential plantation area.”

Bohol’s Total Land Area is only about 411,000 hectares. Farms lands dedicated for rice is about 36,544 hectares; 42,845 hectares for coconuts; 19,837 hectares for corn; 6,842 hectares planted to mango; and the target land area for oil palm, 45,000 hectares, FARDEC said.

FARDEC cited a case in Barangay San Jose, Mabini. It said that several farmers already owed the bank “P36,000 in just 4 months; in Danao, one owner cultivator owes P148,000 in 2 years time. During the first harvest, he can sell only more or less 5 tons. At a range of 2 – 4 pesos per kilo of ffb’s, he only earned P10,000 or P20,000 at the most. This is not enough to even pay ¼ of his loan to FCB hence it could lead to eventual land grabbing.”

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hubag bohol

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Re: Oil Palm in Bohol a Big Failure
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2012, 08:04:54 PM »
...than to speak out and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln

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hubag bohol

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Re: Oil Palm in Bohol a Big Failure
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2012, 08:06:14 PM »
Hmm, swerte and kapitan kay finished contract na...

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