Ilocos Sur governor plants sweet sorghum for forage

SAN JUAN, Ilocos Sur — While others are starting to grow sweet sorghum and related crops to produce biofuel in response to the worldwide concern against the disastrous effects of traditional fuel to the environment, a northern provincial executive is into it for another purpose.

Ilocos Sur Governor Deogracias Victor “DV” Savellano is utilizing his harvest of sweet sorghum as forage to feed cattle, goats, pigs, and carabaos that he is raising in the provincial demo farm located here.

Saying the crop is “versatile,” Savellano also produces vinegar and native wine called “basi” from juice extracted from the stalks of the plant.

The governor said his workers collected 115  gallons of sweet sorghum juice from stalks of the plant that they harvested recently from a 1,200-square meter land in the 16-hectare demo farm. It was their first harvest of the crop.

Dr. Cesar Soller, manager of the demo farm, said the farm supports an animal population consisting of 32 heads of cattle,10 heads of carabao, 200 goats, 79 native pigs, and 14 sheeps.   

As for biofuel development, Savellano said he considers a long shot and is not interested.

“There is no ready buyer,” he said adding that the potential income for farmers going into sweet sorghum for biofuel is not clear.

He said he would not encourage his constituents to utilize their farms to produce biofuel feedstock  as they may just suffer financially. 

The governor, who is also the chairman of the Regional Development Council of the Ilocos Region, has converted the once idle 16-hectare land located in Barangay Labnig here into the so-called BA Rang-ay provincial demo farm.

He said that the animals bred and raised here will be eventually be dispersed to depressed communities in line with the livelihood program of the province.

Chicken, geese, turkey, and fighting cocks are also raised.

The plant section of the farm includes large plots for assorted vegetables called pinakbet garden, sweet corn, soya beans, peanuts, pigeon pea, 500 jackfruit (langka) trees, 600 banana plants (lakatan), cavendish and banana chip material, 400 coconut trees, 500 malunggay trees, sunflower, 400 katuday  trees , mongo, and tobacco.

In setting up the BA Rang-ay demo farm, Savellano said he is merely leading the way for the various towns of the province to follow.

He is is hoping that eventually every barangay will have a farm of its own so that every home will become self-sufficient.