By Henrylito D. Tacio
When he was growing up, Benzone Kennedy F. Sepe dreamed of seeing an apple tree. But there were no apple trees in the Philippines. as it is a tropical country. Apples only grow in temperate countries like China, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, and the United States.
READ: Apples grow on an agriculture student’s farm in Davao del Sur
“That’s the reason why I really wanted to go to the US,” he said. Most Filipinos, he observed, as he loves eating apples. He wondered why he had never seen apple trees when the fruit was being sold in the market.
Out of curiosity, Sepe bought some apples and took the seeds. He managed to get three seeds, which he planted in a seashell. To his surprise, they grew. When the apple seedlings attained a height of five inches, he transferred them to seedling bags. After six months, he planted the young apple seedlings into the ground. Unfortunately, only one plant survived.
Growing apples in Mindanao
In early 2018, he observed flowers coming out from the tree. Three weeks later, he became excited when he saw the flowers turned into fruit buds. From the lone tree, he was able to harvest 32 ripe apples.
“There was no difference between the apple I harvested from my farm to the apple I bought from the public market because the juiciness and crunchiness is still there,” said Sepe, a graduate of Agricultural Technology at Davao del Sur State College (DSSC).
He brought some of the apples to DSSC for “Brix” testing to measure the sugar content, an essential part of the quality analysis of an agricultural product. Results showed the apple grown by Benzone was much sweeter as it scored 17.5 degrees Brix, much higher to the 13 degrees of commercial apples. Quality of apples for export must meet the standard of at least 12 degrees, he pointed out.
Sepe grows apples in Kapatagan Apple Orchard, Rare Fruit Farm and Nurseries; his farm in Kapatagan, a barangay of Digos City, Davao del Sur. Located at the rolling foothills of Mount Apo, the country’s highest peak, it has cooler weather than many parts of the country.
“I started planting apples in our home lot with an area of 640 square meters,” he said.
At least 30 apple trees are growing now in the homeyard. The 300 others are planted in front of their church and in a half-hectare land which he rents. He dreams of planting more as his contribution in reforesting Kapatagan, which is now denuded and has been converted to banana plantation and vegetable production.
This is where 30 apples are growing. (Henrylito Tacio)
Exotic fruit trees
But apples are not the only fruits growing on the farm. “I think I have more than 30 different fruit varieties growing,” he said. “It’s a mixture of tropical and temperate fruits since I wanted to mix various fruits from tropical to temperate countries.”
Among those he can think of, the fruits growing in his farm are atemoya, blackberry, blueberry, cherimoya, cherry, fig, grapes, guava, guyabano, Hass avocado, jaboticaba, jackfruit, kiwi, lime, mango, mulberry, olive, orange, peach, pear, persimmon, plum, pomegranate, raspberry, and strawberry.
Sepe believes in companion planting, or the planting of two fruits in the same space. He planted rose leaf raspberries together with the apples since the former attracts bees, which help pollinate the apple trees.
“Most of the fruits in my farm were grown from seeds,” he said. “Whenever I see a fruit in the market that is unusual, I buy them and extract the seeds. Then, I plant them on my farm.”
Since he didn’t know much about those exotic fruits, Sepe learned the planting techniques from watching videos posted on the internet. “I also read articles about fruit propagation,” he said. “During my spare time, I try to discover different techniques and technologies in farming, most especially about fruit crops.”
Among the fruits he planted, apples are the oldest. “The mother apple tree is about nine years old already,” he said.
To give an idea to visitors what fruit trees are planted in the orchard, he writes some of them at the entrance. (Henrylito Tacio)
Cultivation techniques
Sepe uses chicken dung for his apples: seven trees per sack. He also applies commercial fertilizer (16-16-16). “I also use organic fertilizer like compost soil,” he added.
The pests that usually attack his fruit trees are caterpillars and fruit flies. “They are also susceptible to fungi, which contaminate the seedlings,” he said. “Sometimes, the plants withered, especially when there’s rain.”
To control pests and diseases, Sepe applies integrated pest management (IPM), which includes making homemade natural pesticides and foliar sprays.
Generally, apples are planted at a distance of 5 by 5 meters. But with available technologies, apples can be planted at a closer distance. “But in my farm, I planted apples with a distance of 4 by 3 meters,” he said.
Most Filipinos have not seen a pomegranate tree, and this is what it looks like. (Henrylito Tacio)
Income from planting materials
The main source of income from the farm are the planting materials, which are mostly grafted and/or budded. “I learned plant propagation techniques from watching YouTube and also from reading books,” he admitted. “But since high school days, I knew a little bit of grafting and budding.”
Among the planting materials he sells at the Kapatagan Apple Orchard, Rare Fruit Farm and Nurseries are apples, figs, oranges, olives, grapes, persimmon, pears, jackfruit, Chempedak, Hass avocado, guava, and berries. The top seller is still the apple, which fetches P3,500 per grafted plant. Other fruits range from P100 to P2,500 each.
Most buyers come to his farm to buy the planting materials. Some of the famous personalities who have bought planting materials from him include Senator Cynthia Villar and former governor Toto Mangudadato. “I also do some shipping nationwide, particularly those from Luzon areas,” he said.
Hands-on when it comes to planting materials, he inspects budded seedlings. (Henrylito Tacio)
Teaching others
The Agricultural Training Institute of the Department of Agriculture has accredited the farm as a learning site for apple growing, the very first of its kind in the country. Visitors who are interested in apple farming or just curious can come; entrance fee is P25 per person.
The farm has weekly visitors of 20 to 25 people. “I have assisted some students who want to learn about fruit farming, especially when it comes to grafting and budding,” Sepe said.
He works alone on his farm. But in some instances, he hires part-time workers if ever he needs some help. “I urge younger generations to work on things that are helpful to mankind,” he said. “I encourage them to engage in agriculture to see and unlock its potential.”
Planting fruit crops is different from other farming systems. “Growing fruits take time so farmers must have courage and patience,” Sepe said. “Fruits are not like cash crops such as vegetables that you can harvest within a month or so.”
The newly-bought maple, an addition to the growing list of fruit crops grown in the farm. (Henrylito Tacio)
Fruits of his labor
Last year, Sepe became the first recipient of The Outstanding Young Farmer during the Young Agri-Laureate Awards (YALA) for his exceptional contribution to the field of agricultural production. He was cited as “the first young Filipino farmer who has produced apples in the Philippines.”
“Your journey and work have the potential to motivate a lot of Filipino youth,” the YALA organizers explained. “We are grateful for your inspiring work, and for leading the charge in contributing to change the narrative of agriculture for the better.”
Although his childhood dream was to see an apple tree, he never thought of becoming a farmer just like his parents. “Farming is not my first love,” he admitted. “I really wanted to become a lawyer but because of financial problems, I wasn’t able to do so.”
But with the success he is reaping now from farming, he believes he is destined to be a farmer. “I believe that farming is cool and that there is a future in agriculture,” he pointed out.
Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio