“WHEN you are given lemons, make lemonade” is an adage referring to adopting a can-do attitude in the face of adversities and misfortunes.
Nueva Vizcaya farmer Alfonso Namuje Jr. is a typical personification of this maxim, being the driving force of his community that called him the “Father of Citrus” for having pioneered the propagation of citrus in Malabing Valley.
Even as a young boy, Namuje has been drawn to planting such that he took up Agriculture in college.
But fate had a different plan for him, so he found himself working at a pig farm in Laguna where he became a manager.
But still, the call of the orchards was too loud to ignore so he returned to planting fruit trees again on his own backyard.
Neighbors loved the fruits of Namuje’s labor, so he decided to go back home to Malabing Valley and dive into citrus growing full time.
That was the turning point, and the local villagers started to emulate him and cultivated their own citrus farms.
Eventually Malabing became the citrus capital of Nueva Vizcaya, and they owed the recognition to Namuje’s initiatives.
Before long, the Namuje Integrated Farm was born through the f Malabing Valley Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MVMPC) which he helped organize.
As interest in citrus broadened, more farmers hopped into the bandwagon, and they gained access to techniques, financial support, and farm inputs, while Namuje’s pilot farm became a living classroom and an agri-tourism site.
The state-run Land Bank of the Philippines eventually provided financial support that enabled the cooperative to expand operations.
Citrus farming soon became a viable industry in the province, improving livelihoods and attracting government attention — roads were built, connecting communities and markets, and what once took a five-day carabao ride to reach Solano could now be traversed in hours.
Through years of research and experimentation, Namuje refined orchard management, introduced new cultivars, and shared his knowledge with students, co-farmers, and visitors. Malabing Valley became the heart of citrus production in Cagayan Valley, with Kasibu officially recognized as the Citrus Capital of Luzon.
LANDBANK’s Gawad TANYAG Awards honored him as Ulirang Magsasaka, acknowledging the impact of his leadership, innovation, and community transformation.
