Plant Now Pay Later – SLSU’s Rubber Distribution Project

With rubber being one of the banner commodities of Southern Leyte State University (SLSU), and rubber having been adopted and promoted by SLSU since 2010, with SLSU even holding the International Research Congress and Business Forum on Rubber and Freshwater Prawn in 2014, SLSU held talks in February 11, 2016 with several interested farmers concerning the Rubber Seedlings Extension/Distribution to Sogod Bay Farmers project led by the RDE Extension Unit Head Nestor Morales and former Vice President for Research, Development and Extension Valerio Cabalo.

The rubber seedlings for distribution consist of somewhat overgrown seedlings but are going to be prepared in such a way that it will have new shoot that will be used as the new trunk/stem upon transplanting. The project orientation was spearheaded by Morales and Cabalo, and was held at the SLSU Board Room with SLSU President Prose Ivy Yepes giving the welcome talk to the farmers. All the attendees filled up the farmer and farm profile form, after the orientation on the mechanics of the dispersal.

What particularly sparked interest in the Rubber Seedling Extension/Distribution project was its Plant Now Pay Later (PNPL) scheme which provides the chance for interested farmers to plant rubber seedlings at the proper time (onset of rainy season this year) without having to pay for the rubber seedlings yet. Farmers will pay the equivalent price of the seedlings once income is generated out of the planted seedlings. They can also opt to pay the cost of the seedlings earlier, at a price based on the prevailing market price during the time of payment.

The farmers’ interest among those who attended the orientation, ranged from income generation in their own farms, to promoting rubber seedling for plantation in uncultivated sloping lands in a community of concern to one farmer. 

Some participants of the rubber seedling distribution orientation visit the rubber seedling nursery of SLSU-Sogod.

But before distribution, type of land and size of area to be devoted for rubber cultivation of the would-be-beneficiaries, will be assessed on site by Morales and Cabalo. Another activity required of the identified farmers is to attend a Technical Briefing on Recommended Practices for Rubber Cultivation, a requisite training for the identified farmers before planting the seedlings.

SLSU’s interest in rubber started in 2007. Key officials from the university then went to the University of Southern Mindanaoto see firsthand the cultivation and profitability of rubber.

Currently, SLSU operates the Rubber Research Center located at SLSU-San Juan, and the Rubber Budwood Garden located in SLSU-Hinunangan.

Being optimistic of its future prospects, SLSU is eyeing going into rubber processing in a time to come and consequently increase the income of the university. SLSU is also eagerly waiting for the soon-to-come harvesting of the experimental rubber trees at SLSU’s Rubber Research Center in SLSU-San Juan.

For more on SLSU’s endeavors in rubber, check out our past articles SLSU’s New Rubber Research and Training Center and the 2014 International Research Congress and Business Forum on Rubber and Freshwater Prawn.

A live video stream of the Feb. 3 episode of SLSU Hour where Extension Unit Head Nestor Morales disseminated information on the rubber seedling distribution. The rubber distribution project was discussed in SLSU Hour for two weeks, resulting in some of participants attending the project orientation based on information gathered from the radio. RDE also sent a letter to Mayor of Sogod and to the Municipal Agriculturist of Sogod for dissemination of the project to Sogod barangays.