DENR raises 36 million seedlings for first half of 2020

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has reached 80 percent of its seedling production target for this year under the government’s flagship reforestation program.

Citing a report from the Forest Management Bureau (FMB), Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said Thursday that DENR has already raised 36 million seedlings for the first half of 2020 under the Enhanced National Greening Program. DENR targets to have 45.2 million seedlings for the entire year under the initiative.

“This speaks well of how the DENR and its partners have carried out the ENGP in the face of challenges and constraints created by the pandemic,” Cimatu said in a statement.

With these figures, Cimatu said the department is “on track” in the ENGP seedling production “just in time for planting this rainy season.”

FMB said in its report that the seedling production covers both plantation species and indigenous species used for rehabilitation of denuded areas in watersheds, mangroves, and protected areas. It also includes commodity species used for the establishment of agroforestry plantations.

As of July 9, indigenous and plantation seedlings had reached 20 million; 3.4 million for bamboo; 2.98 million for agroforestry; 1.2 million for fruit trees; 796,600 for fuelwood; 131,775 for rubber; 65,000 for nipa; and 50,000 for ilang-ilang, according to FMB.

Other commodity seedling species raised during the period include cacao at 598,907; coffee at 212,047; other high-value crops at 837,525; mangrove at163,500; and rattan at 262,000.

According to FMB’s report, another 537,638 seedlings came from DENR’s partners in the private sector, including the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines which contributed some 400,000 seedlings raised during the period.

The department had also raised over 4 million seedlings in its modernized and mechanized forest nurseries operating in 10 regions.

As of May, these forest nurseries have also produced almost one million vegetable seedlings, as it continues raising native and fast-growing forest tree seedlings.

The vegetable seedling production is DENR’s part in the government’s “Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat Laban sa COVID-19” program, which promotes urban agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KGA

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