Agusan Del Sur is saying “Hi” to additional livelihood and “Goodbye” to dengue with citronella.
A remote village of Das-agan is finding new opportunities with citronella farming thanks to a new distillation plant that just opened. This plant will help turn citronella into valuable essential oil, which has many uses, including fighting dengue.
Michael Leo Cane Torralba, working with Governor Santiago Cane Jr., shared that one hectare of citronella can produce about 20 liters of essential oil every four months. This can bring in around PHP 500,000 per harvest, or PHP 1.5 million a year. The oil is used in products like perfumes, candles, lotions, and pesticides. Its natural insect-repellent properties make it particularly useful in preventing mosquito bites, which helps in reducing the risk of dengue fever.
Governor Cane also mentioned that another product from citronella, called hydrosol, is used by big hotels in Metro Manila to freshen up restrooms. The new plant, which processes 300 kilos at a time, was built by engineer Rudy Cane, known for his creative inventions.
Joselito Lanzarote, head of the Barangay Das-agan Farmers Association (BADAFA), explained that citronella farming started by accident. They first planted citronella thinking it was like lemongrass, but discovered it’s great for making essential oil. Lanzarote has now set aside part of his farm for citronella and hopes to make up to PHP 3 million per harvest. He is also in touch with buyers in Canada and India.
Torralba said citronella is easy to grow. Once planted, it keeps growing back and can be harvested for up to 10 years, making it a good crop for farmers.
Governor Cane encouraged the BADAFA members to keep working hard and noted that the new plant will be available to other farmers as well. This effort is part of a broader plan by the provincial government to boost the local economy through programs like the Upland Sustainable Agroforestry Development (USAD), which has helped improve Agusan del Sur’s economy.
San Francisco Mayor Grace Carmel Paredes-Bravo suggested that BADAFA form a cooperative to strengthen their group and improve their livelihoods.
With these new opportunities, citronella farmers in Das-agan are excited about a bright future and turning their region into a successful center for essential oil production.
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