SAN MATEO, Isabela – Being a drought-tolerant crop, mungbean replaces rice in the flooded paddies of this town during dry months.
Ergo, as farmers all over the country find difficult times, this first class municipality in the Province of Isabela celebrates abundance with its 7,000 hectares of land planted to mungbean during these harvest-lean months.
San Mateo, Isabela is the biggest producer of mungbeans in the Philippines with a production of 800 to 1,000 kilos/ha, reason enough for the town to be labelled as the “Mungbean Capital of the Philippines.”
The local government of San Mateo, through the Municipal Agricultural Office, has also introduced a number of processed products from mungbean that range from noodles, cakes, chips, and other products ─ not only making mungbean a much sought commodity ─ but also giving the town much reason to celebrate this agricultural feat.
And what could be a better way of merriment to celebrate this success than doing it through the Mungbean Farms and Industry Encounters through the Science and Technology Agenda (FIESTA)?
Adopting the theme, Boosting Mungbean Industry through S&T-based Innovation, the three day event, which replicates a true fiesta spirit, is held from May 7-9, 2018. It will include a parade; contests on feature writing, cooking, and poster making; an investment forum; technology fora; an appreciation tour; and a boodle fight.
The Cagayan Valley Agriculture, Aquatic and Resources Research and Development (CVAARRD) Consortium leads the activity.
As conceptualized by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), FIESTA aims to show the complete sphere of research and development as it treats with equal importance the whole agricultural value chain from production to processing to technology mainstreaming.
FIESTA brings out the best in agri-aqua technologies, products, and services and make these known to the public through this event.
Through FIESTA, DOST-PCAARRD gathers the various players of agricultural R&D, primarily the technology generators, farmers, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to showcase regional agricultural, aquatic and natural resources (AANR) technologies, innovations, products, and services.
FIESTA also assists in the diffusion of technologies for better farming opportunities and provide a true encounter of various research and development beneficiaries to maximize the benefits of particular products and commodities.