A colossal caterpillar-like figure made of citrus fruits, a masterpiece crafted by the productive hands of citrus farmers,  wowed the spectators during the 2023 Citrus Festival in the upland municipality of Kasibu in Nueva Vizcaya.

The impressive creation served as a powerful and heartfelt expression of gratitude for the thriving citrus industry of Kasibu.

The Citrus festival was actually dedicated by the local government to the farmers who placed Kasibu town on the map as the Citrus Capital of Northern Luzon, and as an agro–eco and cultural tourism attraction in Cagayan Valley.

The festival also aims  to promote and showcase the different products and services of the locality as well as its steadfast development in terms of agriculture, ecotourism, culture, and arts. 

The villagers argue that the caterpillar-like figure of citrus fruits symbolizes the vision of Kasibu ‘to fly to greater heights in a given time’ and a celebration of abundance and grace.

The festival’s Agro Trade Fair showcased  various citrus products where booths of its 30 clustered - barangays were filled with citrus fruits arranged like an offering to God and manned mostly by villagers dressed in their ethnic attire.

Alfonso Namujhe, Sr., 75 years old, the father of Citrus farming in Malabing Valley, is proud of his fellow villagers for their successes in citrus farming. He started citrus farming when he was 38. With the knowledge he shared with his fellow Ifugao farmers before, many were inspired and are now reaping the fruits of their labors. 

From August to November each year, Vizcaya orange varieties are produced and sold in various market outlets. These include the Red Chandler and the pink Amoy Chinese of the pomelo family; Valencia, seedless Hamlin orange also known as the Perante Orange, the Washington navel and Gillette Nave variety which are ideal for fresh orange juice; the seedless Satsuma or Japanese orange; Poncan or Chinese mandarin and the Clementine type of the Mandarin family.

The production of citrus products (at 50 to 60 kilos per tree) in the province is so huge that these were even sold along the national highway through the Citrus Alley in Barangay Busilac, Bayombong town, while others are even brought to various marketplaces in Metro Manila, northern and central Luzon, and even Mindanao. 

“I am very happy with this agricultural venture on citrus farming. With this, our government has developed our town with roads, bridges and other facilities for our farmers. We hope that our government agencies will continue to support our citrus farmers with post-harvest facilities to preserve the quality of their citrus and  enable them to compete with imported products,” he said.

With the sustained assistance of the government, the booming citrus industry catapulted the agricultural recognition of Kasibu as the citrus capital of North Luzon and a potential citrus industry player in the international market.

In fact, the Department of Agriculture (DA) declared Kasibu town as the Citrus Capital of Northern Luzon recently.

Mayor Romeo Tayaban said many of their villagers have reaped economic benefits with their citrus farming since their town has  suitable weather conditions and soil for citrus production.

“Many of our citrus farmers have made economic gains, many were able to purchase their own vehicles and acquired houses and lands to till that contributed to the income of the local government unit. Let us strengthen our unity, camaraderie and preserve our culture and tradition as Indigenous Peoples (IPs) so that we will continue to reap the benefits of our agricultural endeavors,” he said.

During the Citrus Festival’s Opening Program on August 17, U-nichols Manalo, DA director for Field Operations Services handed a Certificate of Allocation containing P14 million-worth of assistance to the local officials of Kasibu.

According to Municipal Tourism Officer Christian Daulayan, the Citrus Festival which was only held in Malabing Valley before has been adopted by the Local Government Unit of Kasibu as the highlight of the town’s annual fiesta.

He said the booming citrus industry has contributed a lot to the LGU’s coffers in terms of income, business and real property  tax collection, among others.

Daulayan said there are now 15 to 20 citrus farms not only in Malabing Valley but in nearby barangays which have drawn tourist arrivals in the municipality.

“We had more than 1,000 tourist arrivals last year with the launching of Citrus Picking and Farm Tour in 5 production areas in partnership with the Department of Tourism and the Provincial Tourism Office of the province, designed to attract local and foreign tourists and promote our citrus industry,” he said. (OTB/ BME/PIA NVizcaya)