“Inspite of the onslaught of El Niño, lakatan plants under coconuts demonstrated good fruiting performance,” said Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) consultant Sally Bulatao. Bulatao said this during a briefing on the progress of the Science and Technology-based farm (STBF) on banana production for the FFF-Coconut Farm and Development Program (Phase 1). The briefing was held at the PCARRD Headquarters recently.
This STBF project was conducted in partnership with the FFF and sought to integrate banana production, specifically lakatan, in a coconut plantation. The lakatan grown in the interspaces of coconut trees offer an alternative source of food and income for coconut farmers. The practice is feasible since coconut trees shield banana against intense heat, particularly during the juvenile stage.
Aside from the banana STBF, FFF also reported on the status of their STBF project on cacao.