GSMI Promotes Cassava Farming in Negros Island

GSMI, one of the largest alcohol producers and spirits manufacturing in the archipelago homes its largest alcohol distillery, largest in the Philippines, in Km. 13.5, Barangay Taloc, Bago City, Negros Occidental. The distillery's name is Distilleria Bago Incorporated (DBI). There are four (4) factories that are operating day in and day out only stopping for a brief moment for maintenance, just imagine the volume of raw materials being used! Speaking of raw materials, the distilleriy's main ingredient for alcohol production is "Molasses"(mo·las·ses), a thick syrup produced in refining raw sugar, hence three(3) homongous distilling columns use molasses as raw material. The fourth distilling column (as big as the molasses distilling columns) uses "dried cassava chips" as raw materials. Due to lack of availability of raw materials(cassava chips) in the Philippines, GSMI has to source dried cassava chips in Thailand and vietnam. The distillery's cassava chips requirement year round is equall to about 4,000 to 5,000 hectares of cassava plantations or farms. GSMI's Business Farming Unit long term goal is to have cassava chips sourced locally. GSMI believes that there is a great positive impact on the economy if all its cassava requirements are bought locally. As Mr. Red Galura said, "Our Philippine peso will no longer have to get out of the country, our customers which are Filipino will buy our product and the money will go to more cassava chips producers which are our customers and so on and so forth giving way to more job opportunities in the countryside." That being said, GSMI is inviting farmers from Negros Island to plant cassava and process them into dried cassava chips by sun drying. Marginal lands, or lands that are not used or maximized can be planted with cassava, it is possible because of its low production cost. GSMI offers free high yielding cassava planting materials and distillery's organic residue for those who are interested to plant in Negros Island. For those Negrense who are interested in the cassava business, you can send your queries to hts.gsmi@yahoo.com or you can leave your posts here under the comments section.