Cotabato farmers trained in organic fertilizer preparation
FARMERS in Cotabato province received training in the preparation of alternative fertilizers from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) at the Municipal Nursery of Midsayap.
Seventy organic farmers from Midsayap learned to make fertilizer using fermented fruit juice, fermented plant juice, fish amino acids, and calcium phosphate made from jackfruit, bananas, fish, eggshells, muscovado, vinegar, carbonized rice hulls, and liquid smoke’ as well as organic composting.
The program is a farm-income improvement initiative of Governor Emmylou J. Taliño-Mendoza.
The OPAg lead official for organics, Dina A. Lumogdang, said the methods used will save farmers money and keep their farms chemical-free.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 12 and the provincial government of Cotabato also discussed the distribution of rice fertilizer support.
“Sa ngayon ay pinaghahandaan na ng probinsya ang isasagawang pamamahagi kung saan magkakaroon ng ikalawang pagpupulong kasama ang mga representante ng iba’t-ibang munisipyo upang maibahagi ang nasabing fertilizers sa mga karapat dapat na mga benepisyaryo (The province is preparing for the distribution, for which we will convene a second meeting with representatives from each municipality, in order to distribute fertilizer to eligible beneficiaries),” the governor said.
In 2022, the DA ranked Cotabato province no. 1 in Region 12, no. 3 in Mindanao and no. 10 in the country in rice production, with output of 510,973 metric tons. — Maya M. Padillo
