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The province’s agri- and fishery-based
enterprises maintain banana plantations; cattle ranches; bangus,
hito, tilapia, tiger prawn fishponds; mariculture; and salt
farms. Livestock is just as viable.
With more than 7,000 hectares of mango plantation,
Sarangani is an emerging source in SOCSKSARGEN aside from being
a large producer of copra and sugarcane.
Giant companies like DOLE Philippines have ventured
into banana, pineapple, and asparagus growing. Fishing and aquaculture
also sustain the local economy.
Total fish haul for municipal fisheries classified
under motorized and non-motorized bancas reached 300.720 and
114.627 metric tons, respectively for the year 2000.
Last year (2001), municipal catch under same
classification was registered at 376,199 and 95,782 in kilograms.
Sarangani is the aquaculture hub in Mindanao
but the province is positioning itself a the aquaculture center
in the whole Philippines for the next years.
The Department of Trade and Industry Field Office
registered some P271.2 million investments on aquaculture over
a year generating an employment rate of 52 percent.
Aquaculture production for the year 2000 averaged
2,949 metric tons covering 11,246 hectares of fishponds and
10,880 cubic meter area of fish cages.
Number of aqua farms for the year 2001 has also
increased. Aquaculture industry in the province has greatly
improved due to the efficient marketing strategies by big aquaculture
firms such as the Sarangani Alson’s Aqua Technologies,
Inc., which processed the famous Sarangani Bay Bangus exported
abroad.
Sarangani province is a top producer of rice
and corn in SOCSKSARGEN.
The total rice area for the year 2000 is 11,633.25
hectares with a production yield of 48,248.94 metric tons.
This staple food is largely harvested in the
five municipalities of the province, particularly, in the top
producing municipalities of Maitum and Kiamba, the “food
baskets” of Sarangani.
Annual average yield is 4 tons per hectare.
Forty percent of which is distributed to the National Food Authority
and the traders in General Santos City.
Certified Seed of Palay is grown at the municipality
of Maitum. Homegrown “Kiamba Rice,” a high quality
grain sold throughout the country, is produced both by the municipalities
of Maitum and Kiamba.
Corn, one of the most popular agricultural products
in Sarangani is planted to 54,106.50 hectares yielding an average
total production of 130,175.73 metric tons in year 2000.
The municipality of Malungon is the biggest
producing area by 33 percent of the total hectarage.
Corn is being marketed to General Santos
City since the province does not have a processing plant for
feeds, which are also distributed nationwide.
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