Barcelona town ventures in banana plantation, an OPAPP assisted project

By Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY, March 5 (PIA)….. In Barcelona town here in the province of Sorsogon, the Barcelona Development Cooperative has ventured on a three- hectare  banana plantation, now on its fruiting stage , and one of the projects funded by the Agencia Espana Cooperacion Internacional  para del Desarollo (AECID) , assisted under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)

Barcelona town mayor Manuel Fortes said during the turn over-ceremony of the project to the BADECO that Barcelona town is one of the towns here in the province which has been producing and supplying the demand of banana locally and now with the initiative of the BADECO, this project will create more livelihood opportunities and promote banana as the “one town one product of Barcelona”.

The plantation which has been monitored and evaluated during the visit of the OPAPP was not only planted to banana but was interspersed with pineapple plants.

According to Lucy Baylon, president of BADECO, this government assisted project they have submitted and has been funded by a non-governmental organization, (AECID) has made their group become more aware of how partnership can be achieved in the promotion of peace and development of the local communities.

Aside from the banana plantation project, their BADECO building that has also been rehabilitated through the AECID will be the venue of meetings of people in their community. It will also become the hub of dialogues for peace development initiatives to create job opportunities.

Baylon also said that they will be expanding their banana plantation project as a way to show their benefactors that they are treating this project as their own and should really be given the right management so as to inspire other groups in the community or in other municipalities to venture in the same project.

Baylon also explained that their cooperative will really show to other local communities here that peace and development are two factors that will propel local prosperity.

“We only have to trust  in our government , become potent agents for peace and believe that true empowerment will always be from our unity as a community to achieve development.” she said. (PIA-SORSOGON)