Manila, May 19 -- The Ilocos Norte government is expanding its clustered farming program for watermelons to benefit more small farmers and encourage them to venture into high-value crops other than the traditional rice and corn.

"Since watermelon production is an immediate cash crop and has increased profit of our farmers, we are expanding our intervention to benefit more farmers," engineer Teresa Bacnat, provincial agriculturist, told the Philippine News Agency on Monday.

From the 50-hectare watermelon clustered farm of the Zanjera Irrigators Association Inc., Bacnat said they are doubling the agricultural intervention support to watermelon farmers to over 100 hectares this time.

The clustered farming program not only guarantees agric...