Food business group saves close to 40k Palawan trees in 6 months

A homegrown food business has been able to stop the possible cutting of at least 40,00 fully-grown trees in Palawan province in the last six months.

Yamang Bukid Food Corp., known for its turmeric tea product, hired 80 residents of Barangay Bacungan in the outskirts of Puerto Princesa City when it started its organic farm six months ago.

Seventy-two of the 80 farm workers they hired were found to be illegal loggers, cutting at least three full-grown trees a day, Yamang Bukid (YB) general manager Jhoana Bonagen said in an interview with GMA News Online.

_{YB farm in Palawan}

"Sa aming  mga pakikipagkwentuhan sa kanila, nalaman namin na ang 72 sa kanila ay illegal loggers bago pa sila mag-apply sa YB," Bonagen said.

"One of our farm workers told me that he can cut up to four trees with chainsaws provided by logging financiers in the area," she added.

Bonagen said that the YB farm began in late 2017 with the 80 farmers working full-time at our farm planted to insulin plant, turmeric, and other medicinal herbs.

"With the 72 farmers with us, abandoning their illegal logging activities, the trees being saved within the six-month period, could easily translate into 39, 312 trees at the rate of 3 trees per day being cut by a single farmer," she said.

Bonagen called on Agriculture authorities and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Palawan to look into YB's experience as a possible model in efforts at stopping illegal logging in the province.

"Small illegal loggers in communities, I think, would be willing to abandon their outlawed practice if only they had an alternative source of income," she added. —LBG, GMA News