“It does not really bring out that much,” Torres said referring to the bananas he occasionally harvests from his 1.1-hectare farm in As Teo.
The farm is blessed with fertile ground, a stream and a part-time caretaker. It also serves as the lawmaker’s stress reliever.
He said it is the only place on island where he can relax, ponder and recharge.
Torres said staying on the farm gives him the opportunity to assess the days that have passed and reflect on the tasks ahead.
“When I’m here the only sounds I hear are the chirping of the birds, the wind in the trees and the babbling water,” Torres said.
Because the farm, which he has been maintaining since 2006, is on a slope, it also gives him the chance to exercise.
He walks downhill and up again which is enough to make him sweat. He said it also keeps his knees strong and makes him feel younger.
“I feel good after cooling off. And it feels very therapeutic when I listen to the birds and the wind in the trees,” he said.
Since the land is blessed with a natural irrigation system, Torres has great plans for his farm.
Several months ago, he planted 10 seedlings each of three varieties of mangoes — carabao, panama and hayden. He knows it takes about three to four years before he can reap the fruits of his labor, but it’s okay, he said, because by that time he will be ready to retire from public service.
“I want to make this farm a fruit orchard,” he said.
Right now, Torres focuses on growing different citrus fruits —lime, tangerine, lemon and grapefruit.
He has two varieties of tangerine: California and local. He has white grapefruit and red grapefruit.
The farm also has five different varieties of papaya and six varieties of bananas, one of which won first place during last year’s Agriculture Fair in Susupe.
His three “cooking” bananas are tanduki, galazan and Guam. His “eating” bananas are red, Manila and Taiwan.
Torres also has two varieties of avocado — California and local. He has star apple, siniguelas and noni trees.
For his mangoes, Torres is researching on technology that can make them grow faster.
Aside from fruit bearing trees, Torres also has sugar cane, pineapple and some flowering plants.
Torres said as soon as he retires, he will buy a tractor for his farm. He plans to grow sweet potato, red taro and tapioca.
He is also convincing his wife to move with him to the farm from their current residence on Capital Hill.
Torres believes farming is in his blood. His father, from whom he and his siblings inherited the farm land, was a devoted farmer.
Since he was three years old, he said he always tagged along every time his father went to the farm.
It’s not only the land that he inherited from his father, but also a passion for farming.
