Polomolok is a rectangular shaped municipality situated in the South Western part of the island of Mindanao. It lies in the Southern portion of the province of South Cotabato which is 18 kilometers up North from General Santos City, 17 kilometers down South from Tupi, with Malungon at its Eastern boundaries and T’boli at its Western frontiers. It has an elevation of 300 meters above sea level. It lies between latitudes 5°58’ and 6°20’ North and between longitudes 125°1’ and 125°17’ East.
Polomolok is just along the National Highway between the municipality of Tupi and General Santos City. It is accessible from all points of the country and from major capital cities of the world, enabling it to develop a vigorous foreign trade relations with major export markets.
Modern land, sea and air transport are available. Travel time by land from Polomolok to Makar Wharf is approximately 20 minutes and 30 minutes by taxi cab from Polomolok to General Santos City International Airport.
By air, connecting flights thru the Mactan International Airport last for about three hours. With the new international airport of General Santos City, travel time to Manila is shortened to 1 hour and 45 minutes. Option may be made by flying the Davao - Manila route with a three-hour and a half travel by land from Polomolok to Davao.
Barangays
Polomolok is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.
Polomolok Census as of Aug. 1, 2007
Barangay Urban/Rural Population
- Bentung - Rural Area Population: 1,166.
- Crossing Palkan - Rural Area Population: 1,719
- Glamang- Rural Area Population: 5,788
- Kinilis - Rural Area Population: 1,351
- Klinan 6 - Rural Area Population: 3,129
- Koronadal Proper - Rural Area Population: 3,862
- Lam-Caliaf- Rural Area Population: 1,049
- Landan - Rural Area Population: 5,400
- Lumakil - Rural Area Population: 2,839
- Maligo - Rural Area Population: 3,144
- Palkan - Rural Area Population: 3,067
- Poblacion - Urban Area Population: 41,239
- Polo - Rural Area Population: 2,647
- Magsaysay - Rural Area Population: 9,904
- Rubber - Rural Area Population: 2,406
- Silway 7 - Rural Area Population: 1,450
- Silway 8 - Rural Area Population: 7,105
- Sulit - Rural Area Population: 4,346
- Sumbakil - Rural Area Population: 1,639
- Upper Klinan - Rural Area Population: 3,315
- Lapu - Rural Area Population: 1,859
- Cannery Site - Urban Area Population: 20,321
- Pagalungan - Rural Area Population: 2,691
Map of Polomolok
Major Products
Pineapple Production
• Dole Philippines Incorporated is the largest industrial firm involved in growing, processing and exporting of fresh and canned pineapple. As of 2004, the area planted to pineapple is 15,507.872 hectares with an average production volume of 31.94 metric tons per hectare. This industry, which is situated at Barangay Cannery Site, generates about 6,000 jobs at present. It is considered as the biggest taxpayer in the municipality.
Corn Production
• Corn is the second most grown crop in the municipality. Data from the Agriculture Office revealed that for the year 2003 there are 3,931 hectares or 13.46% of the total cultivated land agricultural lands were devoted to corn. About 1,236 hectares of which are planted to traditional corn seeds at average production of 3.20 MT/hectare and 2,695 hectares are planted to hybrid corn at average production of 4.0 MT/ hectare. The major producers are Barangay Klinan 6, Glamang, Landan, Silway 8 and Upper Klinan. About 30% of populace adopt corn as their staple food. Table 16 shows the Area Planted and Production of Corn by Barangay.
Rice Production
• Rice is also one of the major crops. 99% of the total population has rice as their staple food. Office of the Agriculturist reported that for the year 2006, 445 hectares were utilized for rice production, of which only 300 hectares are irrigated, 45 are lowland, and 100 are upland. Irrigated areas are planted 2.5 time a year while rainfed and upland are planted only once. “Gintoang Masaganang Ani Program” Program targets for the average production of rice at about 4.5 MT, for irrigated, 3 MT for lowland and 1.5 MT for upland. This target was met by the farmers this year because of rice diseases and pest infestation.
Asparagus Production
• The record of the Department of Agriculture shows that as of 2006, the total area planted with asparagus is 1,435.52 hectares. Plantations of this crop are in Barangay Sulit, Sumbakil, Crossing Palkan, Bentung, Lapu, Pagalungan, Lumakil, Rubber and Magsaysay. Farmer growers have access to the export market due to contract agreement with Marsman-Drysdale Agri-Ventures and Tropifresh. The surplus are sold in the local market and diversifically used as supplements for cattle fattening.
Vegetable Production
• Vegetables grow well in Barangay Palkan, Kinilis, Maligo, Sumbakil and Koronadal Proper where the climate is cool and the soil is fertile. However, the farmers cannot really produce in large volume due to financial constraints and unstable prevailing market prices of vegetables.
Livestock and Poultry Production
• Livestock and poultry production has increased tremendously in the past years. This is partly due to the municipality’s climate and terrain which is ideal for livestock and poultry production. The land area devoted for agri-livestock production is 80 hectares or 0.27 percent of the total agricultural land.
• For the year 2006, the Office of the City Agriculturist reported that there are 322,628 heads of livestocks and poultry raised in the municipality. Poultry has the most number of heads at 271,420 where 3,639 are layers, 17,852 are backyard, and 249,929 are commercial under contract growers scheme with different Agri-business firms such as RFM, Vitarich, and Swift followed by swine with 23,719 heads which 10,970 are backyard and a total of 15,113 are raised commercially, and cattle with 24,491 heads where 2,065 are backyard and a total of 22,426 heads fattened in the cattle farms of Montery and DEALCO.
• Supply of livestock in the municipality is insufficient due to shipment of livestock which are raised commercially to other parts of the country leaving the backyard raisers to support the local market. The city still depend on supplies coming from other areas in the province.
