In keeping with the local tradition of preparing round fruits during the New Year to bring luck and prosperity, Agriculture Secretary William Dar urges Filipinos to patronize and buy local fruits.
The move achieves twin goals of increasing farmers’ incomes and supporting the development and commercialization of the local fruit industry, said Dar.
“Let’s promote and take pride in our local fruits. Let’s give the tradition a deeper meaning by nurturing our agricultural sector,” he added.
Most Filipinos prefer to buy imported apples, oranges, and grapes to decorate their dinner table on New Year’s eve.
“There are local fruits that can adorn our tables and they are as nutritious and cheaper than imported ones,” the newly-confirmed DA chief said.
“For instance, instead of imported oranges, we can buy Perante, Satsuma, or Vizcaya ponkan, which are grown in Nueva Vizcaya. There are also local grapes from La Union, as well as citrus fruits from Central Luzon and Bukidnon,” Dar added.
Other popular Pinoy fruits include melon, watermelon (pakwan), lanzones, chico, pomelo, rambutan, mangosteen, sineguelas, tiesa, guava (bayabas), atis (custard apple), duhat (black plum), rambutan, santol, dalandan or sintunis (Philippine orange), aratiles (local cherry), bignay (currant), mabolo, papaya, avocado, and fresh coconut, among other fruits.
For non-traditional consumers, he said there are round varieties of langka (jackfruit), pineapple, mango, macopa, durian, balimbing (star fruit) and dragonfruit that can be bought from farmers.
Also, there are indigenous fruits like anang, sapote, yambo, sapinit, katmon, kalumpit, lipote, binukaw, or paratungon — that are often overlooked, not because they are not as delicious and as nutritious as their imported ones, but because most Filipinos are unfamiliar with them.
“Buying Pinoy fruits will indeed increase incomes of farmers and their families who are into fruit orchard production,” Dar said. ### (Rita dela Cruz, DA Communications Group)
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Reference:
Noel O. Reyes
Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary
for Communications and Media Affairs
CP: (0920) 4889686
