The town of Matag-ob, Leyte is now ready to start its fruit tree planting initiatives with five fruits identified as the priority to make the locality the premier fruit basket in Eastern Visayas.

Mayor Bernandino Tacoy, in an interview Monday, said after their benchmarking in Kidapawan City in Cotabato last month they will now focus on planting jackfruit, lanzones, mangosteen, durian, and guyabano.

“Currently, we are getting most of our fruits from Mindanao. Our goal is to produce fruits in Leyte, make idle lands productive, and help mitigate the impact of climate change,” he said.

Under this initiative, the local government will set up nurseries. They will also enter agreements with landowners to allow the planting of seedlings in their lands by the people’s organizations.

The people’s organizations will reap the first three years of harvest before the local government turns over the trees to the landowner.

The program includes providing a 10-hectare area designated for an orchard, aimed at promoting tree-planting among the community. To further support sustainability efforts, landowners will be encouraged to cultivate high-value fruit trees.

The mayor said establishing large plantations in Leyte will bring down the prices of fruits in the region.

Matag-ob, with a population of 17,522, is an agricultural town known for its production of rice, coconut, and various high-value vegetables.

The town with a land area of 104 square kilometers, is known for its Himorasak (abundance) Festival, a harvest and rice festival every September 25. (PNA)