Now paving the way for this eventuality is a project being implemented by DA-BAR headed by Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar and the Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC) led by its president, Dr. Zosimo M . Battad.
The Office of Sen. Ramon B. Magsaysay Jr., through its Young Farmers Program (YFP) also has teamed up with BAR’s National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP) to commercialize tamarind in the country.
Last Jan. 27, BAR-NTCP staff members Evelyn Juanillo and Jennilyn Razonable and PAC’s Dr. Leopoldo Reyes delivered sweet tamarind seedlings to project beneficiaries in Iba, Zambales.
"The project’s vision is for sweet tamarind to be at par with those from Bangkok (Thailand) while supporting production processing activities. In this way, importation of Thai’s tamarind would decrease, paving the way for our Philippine sweet tamarind," said BAR-NTCP coordinator for crops Digna Sandoval. – RAF