Mayor Jesus Sacdalan of Alamada, North Cotabato, will be requesting the assistance of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to establish a processing facility to turn their “kalabasa” (squash) farm produce into nutritious “pancit canton” (stir-fried) noodles.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, former agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Alamada’s farmers have complained of low prices of their “kalabasa” produce at PHP2 per kilo.

Piñol said the squash processing project is expected to provide jobs to women in the community and create an economic enterprise.

“With the help of the DOST, the local government organized its farmers and established a “Kalabasa Pancit Canton” production center, whose produce was displayed during the MinDA Tienda of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) when I was still chairman,” he said.

This week, Piñol said the Alamada municipal council will pass a resolution asking for DOST support in funding and establishing the Alamada Kalabasa Pancit Canton Factory which will assure farmers of a ready market for their excess production.

During his last meeting with Sacdalan, Piñol said he shared the experience of the local government of Cabadbaran City in Agusan del Norte, whose squash farmers also faced problems of very low prices.

The Cabadbaran Kalabasa Pancit Canton, according to Piñol, was one of the most saleable items during the MinDA Tienda in Manila. It was priced at PHP30 per cellophane and was sold out on the second day of the MinDA Tienda event. (PNA)