Cycads share the limelight at Kadayawan Agri-Trade Fair

ANY trade fair offers surprises and great finds and the Kadayawan Agri Trade Fair at SM City Davao Open Grounds is no different. Officially opened on August 14, the fair features the best collection of Mindanaoan products in town.
Not only housing the regal Davao signature agri products such as the Durian and Waling-waling, this year’s 110 exhibitors won’t disappoint the trade fair enthusiasts and curious tourists alike. From fruits like the citrus pomelo and mangosteen to rare plant species, from souvenir trinkets to elaborate home pieces, the Kadayawan Agri Trade Fair has just about everything that completes one’s Kadayawan experience!
This year, one of the many highlights of the fair’s Landscaping feature is the increasingly popular Cycads.
Descendants of a very ancient group of early seed-bearing plants which appeared on the earth from 310 to 285 million years ago, cycads presently, have three known families (Cycadaceae, Stangeriaceae and Zamiaceae) with 11 genera and approximately 185 species.
One hundred fifty million years ago, these plants covered vast areas of the earth’s surface, coexisting with dinosaurs. While most species of dinosaurs were extinct by 65 million years ago, cycads continue to survive on this earth.
Today, Cycads are increasingly becoming the new fad in horticulture. Some species would cost up to a whopping Five Hundred Thousand Pesos! This is said to be due to its rarity and difficulty in propagation.