Tissue culture ng Macapuno sa Palawan, dapat ipamahagi para sa mga magniniyog
Photo courtesy: Jurassic Fruit
Ni Albert Villamor Jr.
Hinihiling ni Board Member Ariston Arzaga at Board Member Rafael Ortega Jr. ang Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) na bigyan ang mga Palaweñong magniniyog ng tissue culture ng Macapuno variety upang itanim at pagkakitaan.
Ang Macapuno variety ay isang uri ng niyog.
Makatutulong sa mga magsasaka ng niyog kung magbibigay ng macapuno tissue culture ang PCA para itanim at pagkakitaan.
“Providing Palawan coconut farmers with access to PCA-developed or PCA-accredited macapuno tissue culture planting materials will help diversify coconut production, improve farm productivity, increase farmers’ income, and strengthen the province’s potential for developing a competitive macapuno-based value chain,” ayon kay Arzaga at Ortega.
Ang macapuno coconut ay isang ‘high-value’ sa bentahan. Pinoproseso ito para maging confectionary, desserts, at iba pang value-added products, at food processing.
“The propagation of macapuno through conventional planting materials is constrained by the difficulty of producing true-to-type seedlings, making tissue culture propagation an important technology for the mass production of quality, genetically uniform, and high-performing macapuno planting materials – coconut filled with thick, jelly-like meat instead of water; soft,” ayon din kay Arzaga at Ortega.
“There is therefore a need to strengthen coordination between the Provincial Government of Palawan, the Philippine Coconut Authority, local government units, coconut farmers’ organizations, and other concerned stakeholders to facilitate the availability and proper distribution of quality macapuno tissue culture planting materials,” ayon rin sa dalawa.
