Zambales poised to become‘sweet tamarind’ capital

IBA, Zambales. — This province is evolving into "sweet tamarind country"
Paving the way to this eventuality is a government program that commercializes a sweet tamarind variety developed after a decade of research work by the Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC) in Magalang, Pampanga.

The variety has been named Aglibut Sweet, after the late Prof. Andres Aglibut of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), a noted agricultural engineer. Aglibut had also served as consultant of various government institutions, among them PAC and Mountain State Agricultural College (MSAC, now Benguet State University) in La Trinidad, Benguet.

The commercialization of Aglibut Sweet in Zambales was made possible through the efforts of former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. and PAC, with funding support from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) headed by director Nicomedes P. Eleazar.

The project is being implemented by the Da-Regional Field Unit-3, DA-Central Luzon Integrated Agricultural Research Center, and local government units of Zambales. The multi-campus Ramon Magsaysay Technological University in Zambales was also tapped to promote the sweet tamarind.

Approved by the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) for commercial production, Aglibut Sweet is comparable to the Bangkok (Thailand) variety, which is internationally known for its sweetness.

PAC embarked on Aglibut Sweet’s commercialization in Zambales in 2006. This central Luzon province has been identified as ideal for tamarind planting because of its semi-arid lands, although tamarind can also grow well in any type of soil and agro-climatic condition.

PAC reported that more than 700 Zambaleños, mostly farmers, have benefited from the project, As of 2007, about 4,500 seedlings of sweet tamarind had been provided and planted in farms and backyards in the province.

Under the project, PAC trained and provided technical support to interested farmers and tamarind growers. Loans payable in one year in three installments were also provided to selected farmers-beneficiaries.

PAC reported that the project has aroused the interest of local executives on the potentials of sweet tamarind. The majority of the towns in Zambales are planning to establish their respective scion groves and to eventually venture into seedling production for their local needs.

"Tamarind has a huge market potential in the Philippines because the country is continuously importing it to meet domestic demand," PAC concluded.