BY BENJAMIN MOSES M. EBREO
QUEZON, Nueva Vizcaya (August 11)—The FCF Minerals Corporation here has established a vegetable plantation as part of its Mine Rehabilitation Program (MRP).
Runruno Barangay Captain John Babliing said the “Gulayan sa Minahan” Project of the company is already showing concrete results, citing initial report of the mining firm.
“Based on their report, they were able to harvest 50 kilos of assorted vegetables, two months after its planting,” he said.
Babliing expressed optimism that other areas will also be replicated to form part of the livelihood projects of villagers in barangay Runruno and nearby communities.
The initial harvests yielded vegetables such as eggplant, okra, calabash, bitter gourd, string beans and tomatoes.
These products are regularly harvested and are now cooked for food of the company’s workers.
The vegetable plantation which was set-up by the company’s Mine Environment Protection and Enhancement Office (MEPEO) was established in early February this year as an additional existing project within its Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) areas.
As part of the mining firm’s MRP, it seeks to assess soil productivity in mine out areas and address food security through the adoption of multiple land-use production system.
The project was piloted within the company’s central nursery and radio hill, which were identified as strategic locations within its FTAA.
The MEPEO team conducts watering, cultivation, weeding and application of organic fertilizers within the “Gulayan sa Minahan” Project.