MANILA, Philippines - The municipality of Daet, capital town of Camarines Norte, recently showcased the Formosa or queen pineapple in the recent Pinyasan Festival to highlight the town as a rich source of the tropical fruit’s smallest and sweetest variety.
The festival’s highlight was the street dancing and float parade with participants in pineapple-inspired costumes.
Formosa, a rare variety, grows abundantly in the towns of San Vicente, Basud and San Lorenzo Ruiz because of the good vegetation and abundant rainfall, and is traded in Daet.
According to Mayor Tito Sarion, who introduced the Pinyasan, the event showcases Daet as the major pineapple supplier in Luzon. He said that to add value to the fruit as a finished product, local food processors produced the pilipinya pie which combines Formosa pineapple and pili nuts which grow abundantly in the Bicol region.
Pilipinya pie has been identified as Daet’s signature product under the Department of Trade and Industry’s One Town, One Product (OTOP) program.