Formosa Pineapples(25)

A couple of years ago, Andie and I travelled to Camarines Norte on a mission to learn about FORMOSA PINEAPPLES.

THIS IS OUR REPORT. The intention of this report is to make members aware of the problem of hundreds of pineapple farmers in Bicol. We travelled to the town of San Lorenzo Ruiz, Camarines Norte. This conversation with Rex, father of 8 and third generation pineapple farmer, changed the way we looked at the problem. The biggest pineapples do not need help, they are able enough to find buyers. It is the smaller-sized pineapples called “buraot” that do. Buraots are not desirable to middlemen, they are left out on the field to rot, to be eaten by bats and mice. We were shocked to learn that 4 out of 10 pineapples (40%) is a Buraot. In this one farm alone, there are 17,000 pineapple plants, so that’s 7 tons of Buraots that will not be sold — and this is just one farm. Rex says there are dozens of farms like his in San Lorenzo Ruiz. Say 24 farms, that’s 160 tons of rotting pineapples. We also went to a much bigger town called Labo, 52 barangays to San Lorenzo Ruiz’s 12. Quick math, we’re talking about at least 700 tons of food waste every season. We have the power to help these farmers decisively by getting only the buraots. To buy them is to give Rex money that he, his father, or his grandfather before that have never imagined making.

Now that we have this knowledge and if we asked you to buy a big bag of buraots with 25 whole pieces in there, for only P49, will you help us help these farmers?