Mining firm holds training on banana production

MANILA, Philippines - A business training and planning workshop on banana production was sponsored recently by OceanaGold Mining (Phils.). It was attended by members of the Didipio Community Development Association, Inc. (DCDAI), a community-based group composed of the different sectors in Didipio, Nueva Vizcaya.

The three-day activity, held at the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU) in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya in partnership with DCDAI, was aimed to develop and enhance the knowledge of the participants on the basic technologies in banana culture, nursery, management and production.

“We are indeed happy that a group such as the DCDAI is giving us its all-out support to attain our common objective of improving the life and welfare of not only the residents in Didipio, but also those in the neighboring communities,” said Chito Gozar, OceanaGold vice president for communications and external affairs.

The DCDAI is composed of the members of the tribal council, agriculture, education, cooperatives, people’s organizations and religious and professional sectors.

Gozar noted that in recent years, banana plantations in  Didipio and the neighboring barangays had been crippled by pests, insects, and other plant virus. “We believe that by working together, all such problems will be solved and will be a thing of the past,” he said.

Gozar at the same time assured that OceanaGold, as part of its objective of sustainable development, “will continue to carry out its reforestation, forest protection, and other environmental and livelihood programs that will benefit not only the residents in Didipio but also those in the neighboring communities.”