The City Government of Kidapawan proudly showcased their bountiful fruit harvest at the “Kasadya sa Timpupo 2024” or Timpupo Festival. This highly-anticipated event featured a 1.5 km fruit stretch from Corner Datu Icdang Street to the Cathedral, delighting both locals and tourists.
The Timpupo Festival, which ran from August 10-18, 2024, offered a vibrant lineup of activities celebrating the rich culture and abundant harvest of the city.
The “Eat-All-You-Can sa Dalan,” along with a fruit-laden float parade, served as the highlight of the weeklong celebration of the city’s 77th foundation anniversary during the culmination program, held on Sunday, August 18.
Kidapawan City Mayor Atty. Jose Paolo M. Evangelista led the symbolic civic-military and fruit float parade, which saw participation from government agencies, people’s organizations, and the private sector.
CSC Senior Commissioner Atty. Aileen Lourdes Lizada and Former Senate President Hon. Vicente Sotto III also graced the culmination program, along with other city officials.
Other activities held during the weeklong celebration included a pyro-musical display, cultural heritage gallery walk, agri trade fair, food fiesta & bazaar sa Suroyan, fruit carving design contest, visual arts workshop, concerts, and more.
“We didn’t expect to have such a bountiful harvest this year. We allotted ₱1.7 million to buy fruits from our local farmers to showcase at this event,” said Mayor Evangelista.
The city is known for being a major producer of fruits such as durian, rambutan, lanzones, mangosteen, and marang in the Soccsksargen region and Mindanao.
The “buy-back” project is one of Mayor Evangelista’s flagship programs, aiming to support the city’s local farmers. The local government buys the farmers' fruit harvests at fair prices and acts as a consolidator of fruits and other crops in the city.
LGU Kidapawan sells these to local associations and people’s organizations at reasonable prices. These associations then sell the produce to the public at the right market price.
According to Mayor Evangelista, this initiative aims to eliminate the “exploitative” nature of some traders who take advantage of local farmers by buying their produce at cheaper prices.
Dubbed the “city of fruits and highland springs,” Kidapawan also aims to be known for having the nearest Mt. Apo trail, with guides and porters who are DOT-accredited and well-trained according to industry standards. The city also offers nature immersion, highlighting ATI and DOT-accredited farm sites that tourists can enjoy.
Aside from being known for its fruits, Mayor Evangelista also wants the city to become “food sufficient,” encouraging residents to plant not only fruit trees but also vegetables and other crops. The local government is also venturing into aquaculture, specifically tilapia production, as a way of supporting the population.
“Fruits are seasonal. What happens the rest of the year? Internally, we want to become food sufficient. We encourage the farmers to plant and maintain their ponds,” he said.
The local government also supports young farmers in the city. For instance, they organized young beekeepers and highlighted the importance of bee farming for the environment. According to Mayor Evangelista, this is just an “entry point” to reach young people and encourage them to venture into agriculture.
Mayor Evangelista stated that these are just short-term solutions. The local government dreams of making their farmers independent and able to dictate market prices.
LGU Kidapawan, through its Office of the City Agriculturist, also provides technical assistance to different organizations and institutions in the city, such as the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) Kidapawan campus.
Mayor Evangelista also has other notable programs, such as the “Canopy '25 Forest Growing” project. According to him, they have planted 1.8 million trees in just two years.
This program aims to protect the environment, especially water sources and watershed areas, and mitigate the effects of climate change. They are aiming to plant 2.5 million trees by February 2025.
“Let’s not forget our responsibility to our environment. We have a moral responsibility to the place we live in. Urbanization is useless without sustainable development,” he said.
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