MANILA, Philipipnes -- Mayor Gloria Crespo Congco of Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, is moving inexorably towards achieving her goal of making her town the country’s sweet sorghum capital.

She is also cutting a partnership with Mayor Jerry Pelayo of neighboring Candaba, Pampanga to convince more farmers to cultivate sweet sorghum and is seeking support from the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) and the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) to realize her objective.

Sweet sorghum is suited for arid and semi-tropical zones even as the crop had long been prized as the source of the “mao tai,” the liquor that kept soldiers of the 8th Route Army and 4th Route Army of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as they battled Japanese troops and eventually the forces of the Kuomintang until they won power in 1949.

The crop is important as food, feed and fuel, with its flour utilized for making not only bread but also a variety of food preparations.

Indeed, Cabiao has become a target of both BAR and CLSU, both N. Ecija posing to be sweet sorghum center By MARVYN N. BENANINGof which participated in the program called “Community Mobilization for Action Planning” to prepare the capability building and social preparation aspects of the long-term project.

CLSU’s Dr. Talens Rivera organized the event in coordination with the mayor and BAR.

The action planning also sought the help of Mayor Pelayo, whose town is also poised to propagate sweet sorghum plants and manufacture by-products for the Central Luzon and national markets.

Rivera said the program also involved the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), State University and Colleges (SUCs), non-government organizations (NGO) and the private sector.

She is the project leader of the BAR-funded project, “Social Preparation and Further Capability Building for the Promotion of Sweet Sorghum Utilization.”

Rivera stressed that it would be prudent to focus first on attaining good and competitive prices for the grains.

Dr. Rocelyn M. Barroga of the Research, Training and Extension (RET) of CLSU said the university will extend technical assistance to interested individuals and organizations venturing into the production of sweet sorghum.