Communities create handmade items from cornhusks
BASISTA’S WASTES USED FOR LIVELIHOOD
BASISTA—The town’s farmers plant corn as second crop on 600 hectares that yield 64,000 pieces of corn per hectare. For decades, the cornhusks were mostly left to waste until a by-product was created to create livelihood in the town.
The opportunity came when Jocelyn “Joy” Perez returned from a training in General Santos City in 2006 on how to make decorative flowers from cornhusks.
For added livelihood, the town folks initially made ropes from sea grass, abaca, buri and bamboo baskets but the raw materials for these had to be sourced from suppliers outside Pangasinan.
The possibilities for the abundant supply of cornhusks in Basista became a challenge to Perez.
Quoting the Department of Agriculture, Perez said one hectare produces 64,000 corn which translates to 38.4 million husks that are simply burned and pollute the environment.
With the help of the Cornhusk Association of the Philippines based in General Santos City, she arranged for the training of families in the new livelihood that showed interest.
Shortly thereafter, she registered the business activity with the Department of Trade and Industry in 2007 and began participating in trade fairs, local and international to introduce her products.
Some 300 workers are involved in their cornhusk products production. “Once a father is involved, his children and wife become engaged, too,” she said. They do ropes from cornhusks while others do separately other parts of their products like handle, lining, among others depending on the design.
They are paid per piece.
Asked about her rise in the business, Perez admitted she’s had limited financial success but she is very pleased with the quality of the products, and the venture has grown extensively with the involvement of more people in and outside the province.
The cornhusk products are produced and sold in their natural form and state.
“We’ve been teaching people. Why keep it (know-how)? “ she said pleased with the thought that communities in Basista have been provided additional livelihood with their cornhusk products business.
Cornhusks can be stored for up to two years for as long as these are dried properly, she pointed out. (Tita Roces)
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