One man’s forest of desire gets bigger and bigger

Pomologist Bernardo O. Dizon finally gets his wish for a bigger orchard of exotic fruit trees in the city which gives easy access to interested entrepreneurs.

After 10 years of successfully pursuing his passion for fruit trees he gets not only 4,000 square meters but also another 20 years’ extension (renewable for another 20 years) to his 10-year contract.

No less than the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) makes sure that Dizon could continue with his good work and influence agri-entrepreneurs, along the way. The new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) enjoins Dizon to establish more techno-demo farms to attract more investors.

This time, each type of fruit tree would have its own farm site, making for several orchards — unlike before where different types of fruit trees were planted near each other in one site.

It all began on June 8, 1992 with the signing of a MOA between then DENR Secretary Fulgencio S. Factoran Jr. and pomologist Bernardo O. Dizon. The latter was awarded a lease of 10 years for 500 square meters by the DENR's Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) and got his wish.

In that piece of barren, waterlogged land at the Ninoy Parks and Wildlife Nature Center in Quezon City – he put up his dream project.

In 10 years, he had a demonstration garden/orchard of exotic fruit trees serving as a techno-demo learning center where he conducts regular Sunday seminars and technology demonstrations for free to the public.

There’s no secret to the success of Dizon’s project – hard work, expertise and selfless fixation with fruit trees and farmers/entrepreneurs where the MOA with Factoran assigned Dizon with the following tasks:

Dizon will establish, maintain and operate a demonstration garden that will serve as a showcase for multiple rootstock techniques for Millennium and Guimaras mangoes, chico varieties, mangosteen, rambutan, longkong, duku lanzones, lychee, apple makopa, Magallanes pummelo and many other local and foreign fruits.

More-over, the garden should show farmers, orchard owners and backyard growers that traditional (mango) and non-traditional fruit trees (lychee, orange, rambutan, durian, pummelo and many others) are potential dollar savers and even dollar earners.

For successfully doing his part of the MOA, the next DENR secretary, Victor O. Ramos, with the comment "excellent work" approved an additional 1,500 square meters for Dizon’s project on June 11, 1998. His garden — by now, totaling 2,000 square meters — is now a-bloom with a myriad of fruits.

In the new agreement, Dizon, in addition to the past conditions of the other MOAs with Factoran and Ramos, is enjoined to propagate investors’ interests in fruit tree farming with seminars and demonstration and provision of seeds.

Dizon sees the project as an opportunity: "I welcome the thrust of DENR on fruit trees, among others, and its trust in me. I will do my very best to prove them right."