Guimaras dragon fruit fest showcases flavor and creativity

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Themed “Where Flavor Meets Arts,” the province of Guimaras officially opened its 4th Dragon Fruit Festival on Thursday, September 4, at the Provincial Capitol Grounds, showcasing the fruit as both an agricultural product and a symbol of local creativity.

Governor Ma. Lucille Nava led the opening rites, joined by Vice Governor Cecile Gumarin, members of the 11th Sangguniang Panlalawigan, other government officials, and representatives from the Local Government Academy.

In her message, Nava underscored the festival’s role in driving agricultural innovation and economic growth, noting the great potential of dragon fruit.

“Eventually, we aim to entice or attract more visitors during this festival. This is the best support given by the Provincial Government, which provided our dragon fruit members and growers the opportunity to showcase their fruits and by-products, with the hope that we can further develop more value-added products,” she said.

She also stressed the government’s commitment to innovation, noting plans to replicate the success of mangoes by upgrading and expanding into other products, delicacies, and handicrafts.

The four-day celebration features a weekend market with hundreds of kilos of dragon fruits and other local products.

It also includes farm “pick and pay” activities at NJST and Paquito Farms, where visitors can harvest fruits at PHP 150 per kilo for a PHP 50 entrance fee, as well as creative events such as DUGA (Dragon Fruit Fest Art Lessons) with SUBLI Artists and MANTSA, an on-the-spot painting competition using natural mediums.

Provincial Economic and Development Officer Francis Gentoral reported that in its first three years, the festival drew nearly 15,000 tourists and generated about PHP 22 million in tourism receipts, with average sales of PHP 725,109.

“We continue doing this festival as a means to provide additional income for dragon fruit farmers. We also look into the value-adding of dragon fruit and not just for health benefits, but it can also be utilized for arts,” he said during a press conference.

He added that this year, organizers are targeting at least a 25 percent increase in tourist arrivals and higher revenues for both farmers and entrepreneurs.

According to the Provincial Office for Agricultural Services, the province currently has 22.44 hectares of dragon fruit plantations with 21,077 posts and 41 active producers.

The annual yield is about 8.9 tons.