Watermelon farmers in Barangay Casilian, Bacarra, Ilocos Norte are celebrating a windfall after earning a combined PHP9 million in net profit just two months after planting high-yielding varieties on a 50-hectare clustered land.

Fredie Marc Bagaoisan, president of the Zanjera Casilian Irrigators Association, Inc., said the success was largely due to the provincial government’s clustered farming program, which pooled the resources of 93 farmer-members and provided them with PHP1.6 million worth of agricultural inputs.

“Thank you to our governor and the provincial government of Ilocos Norte for the continued support to us farmers,” he said, adding that the clustered farm was among the recipients of various inputs, such as hybrid and open-pollinated watermelon seeds, plastic mulch, seedling trays, foliar fertilizers and inorganic fertilizers.

Planted in March, the watermelons matured in just over two months.

Prior to harvest, the association connected with sure buyers, not only in Metro Manila like the famous Dizon Farms in Taguig City, but also in the nearby provinces of Cagayan, Tuguegarao, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Pampanga and Pangasinan.

The provincial government also lent a backhoe with a fuel subsidy to help desilt over eight hectares of land damaged by typhoons, allowing early cultivation.

Records show that from the 50-hectare planted area, farmers gained a net profit of PHP180,000 per hectare, after subtracting an average production cost of PHP100,000 per hectare.

In total, the harvest generated around PHP9 million net profit.

Aimed at increasing the efficiency of farming and fisheries, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Agriculture to consolidate farms and fisheries with clusters. (PNA)