ILOILO – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas is urging farmers to plant ginger amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed in the region due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to DA, a total of 3,750 kilograms of ginger rhizomes were distributed to the targeted towns of Iloilo and Guimaras since September 2019 as âa constant effort to execute the departmentâs regular program for ginger within the region.â
With the aforementioned quantity, 2,150 kilograms were delivered to Guimaras and Iloilo towns Pototan and Badiangan, as well as component city of Passi.
Recently, a total of 1,600 kilograms were distributed in Janiuay town in Iloilo. Aklanâs Balete town was also among the recipients.
âThis program aims to encourage the farmers to produce more ginger that they can sell to public markets and institutional processors of salabat and other health drinks. Now that ECQ is being extended, we are urging households to plant spices commodities that they can use for their consumption,â said Jonifer Frades, High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) focal person of DA in the region.
The department added that in a way, the dispersal of ginger rhizomes is âgeared to promote ginger enterpriseâ as these âcan be sold to markets and can be mixed through processors with turmeric, malunggay, lemon grass or tanglad and other healthy ingredients that could boost our immune system to fight off diseases.â
Likewise, the DA Western Visayas deems this distribution âtimely as the planting season for ginger is the onset of rainy season which is most likely be on the upcoming months of May to June.â (with a report from AGPadilla/InfoACE6/PN)
