By Liza Agoot
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Despite having received the hand-me-down practice of her parents-in-law on strawberry production and processing, MJ Morillo said she still opts to obtain technical and scientific knowledge from experts, which is shielding them from calamities.
“My mother in-law, who had been growing strawberries and processing for decades, passed on their knowledge but I still continue to avail of the seminars conducted by the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), OMAG (Office of the Municipal Agriculturist), Capitol (provincial government),” she said in an interview on Friday.
Morillo, a Bicolana married to a native of Benguet, where she has been residing since 2022, said she never gets tired of attending even those she has already attended, as they have different speakers who provide new thoughts and ideas.
“A training and lecture are never a waste of time because I get to learn in every session I attend,” she added in Filipino.
Among the new knowledge she obtained are proper preservation, packaging, and even presentation of their for-sale fresh berries.
She also said attending to the guests who pay to experience strawberry picking is an essential skill that must be honed through various training sessions.
Morillo said she is passing on her learnings to her six-year-old son, Savy, who is in kindergarten.
“He enjoys assisting our guests who do strawberry picking, teaching them how to harvest, and which to harvest,” she said.
“By farming and growing strawberries, you earn, except if there is a calamity that will surely bring losses. However, with knowledge I obtained from trainings, we have remedies for the harvested berries, even increasing their shelf life aside from value adding.”
Their picking farm is called “Barehand Garden Farm” and their processed berries carry the trade name “Fresh Fusion.” She also markets the “Le Jar” products, primarily composed of low-sugar preserves.
“If we continue to improve, who knows, our strawberries might not just be sold here, also export to other countries,” MJ said.
Fresh strawberries’ prices vary depending on the variety, ranging from PHP400 to PHP600 per kg. but those bought through “pick and pay” cost about PHP700 to PHP800 per kg.
“Strawberry is our trademark as a town. We get tourists because of strawberries. Tourists do not just pay to get hold of the berries but pay to experience strawberry picking,” municipal agriculturist Nida Organo said.
Organo said there are also strawberry derivatives like wine, dried candies, infusion in beverages, cakes and pastries, and many others for value-adding and extension of the shelf life.
She said that with the help of the Department of Agriculture, which provides the funds, they are collaborating with the Benguet State University to ensure the production of quality planting materials.
“The research for other varieties that will thrive in our area is also continuing to ensure that what we are known for will continue to be with us,” Organo said. (PNA)
