The Department of Agriculture-Central Visayas (DA7) conducted today until tomorrow (June 7-8, 2021) the 1st Bayanihan Agri-Clusters (F2C2) Regional Summit and Assessment in a hotel in Mandaue City.
In his message, Regional Executive Director Atty. Salvador D. Diputado said that the Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) summit is an opportunity to share experiences, observations and inputs to effectively carry out the objectives of the bayanihan approach.
He shared that the clustering guidelines of commodities like corn, vegetables and rice, among others, remains a great challenge for the region due to its geographic locations.
Diputado said however that the region was still able to establish four cluster areas of which three are corn cluster areas located in the cities of Toledo and Danao, and the town of Badian, while the vegetable cluster is in the town of Dalaguete.
He went on saying that the presentation of business plans of the farmers’ group and cooperative (FCA) in the summit is very important so that the necessary interventions provided by the government will be properly put in place.
“As expected, clustered areas will have greater financial and market opportunities and access, production and post production assistance, and benefits from the economies of scale,” Diputado said.
DA7 Regional Technical Director for Operations Joel Elumba said that the clustering is one of the strategies to achieve food sufficiency.
“Through farm clustering, farmers’ products will be consolidated and marketted into one and farmers will plant regardless of what season as long as the prices in the market is good,” Elumba said.
He added that with the F2C2, the whole value chain – from production to marketing is properly catered. # # # (DA-RFO VII, RAFIS)
Magsaysay FMR Hits 95% Completion, Welcomes First Onion Harvesting Season
MAGSAYSAY, OCCIDENTAL MINDORO – Residents from three sitios in Barangay Poblacion, Magsaysay can celebrate its first onion harvesting season with extra joy, as the Upgrading/Concreting of Barangay Poblacion Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) subproject of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRPD) is 95% complete, and is expected to be completed this month.
The FMR, which runs for 5 kilometers long and 5 meters wide, began construction on the second half of 2020. With a total project cost of PhP98 million, the FMR is set to pass through three sitios in Barangay Poblacion, Magsaysay.
As the subproject nears completion, F.A. Torres Construction Project Manager Engineer Cesar N. Bernardo stated that despite setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, weather conditions, and lack of manpower due to cropping season, local health offices were able to assist them to continue with construction.
“Ang pandemic na naranasan natin sa ngayon ay talagang malaking challenge sa construction industry. Actually, kami dito, may ilang lingo rin kaming natigil ang trabaho dahil nga sa pagputok nitong COVID-19 virus. Nakipag-ugnayan kami sa municipal health office, sa barangay health office, sila ang magte-test dun sa mga tao at magce-certify na bago sila pumasok, sila ay COVID-free,” Engr. Bernardo expressed.
(The pandemic we are experiencing now is a really huge challenge to the construction industry. We actually had to stop working for a couple of weeks due to the insurgence of the COVID-19 virus. We coordinate with the Municipal Health Office and the Barangay Health Office. They are the ones who test and certify that the workers are COVID-free before they start working)
Although the project has yet to reach full completion, project beneficiaries were already experiencing the benefits of the subproject during the first onion harvesting season since its construction. According to the Project Affected Persons (PAPs), vehicles are now able to drive inside their sitio from the highway to pick up onions directly from their doorsteps, lowering their transportation and hauling costs.
“Dinadala namin dun ho sa highway. Ngayon ho, hindi na po kami maghahakot, dito na mismo sa amin ano kinukuha. ‘Yung mga nakaraan po – 2018, minsan meron lang bente, meron pa nga hong disi-otso. Pero ho ngayon, maganda po ang sibuyas ngayon, merong 45 pesos,” PAP Eugenio Madrid said.
(We bring the crops to the highway [before]. Now we don’t have to haul the crops there because the buyers are the ones who pick up the crops directly. Back in 2018, [onions] cost 18-20 pesos [per kilo], now we can sell them for 45 pesos)
In the long run, more than 8,000 subproject beneficiaries can look forward to poverty alleviation and socio-economic upliftment of their locality through the use of a quality FMR. # # # (Danica A. Brutas, DA-RFO IVB, PRDP InfoACE Unit)
DA-IVA conducts training for coffee farmers of Guinayangan, Quezon
The Department of Agriculture IV-CALABARZON (DA-4A) High Value CropsDevelopment Program (HVCDP) conducted a training on Soil and Fertilizer Management and Pest and Diseases Management in Coffee Production for coffee farmers of Guinayangan, Quezon on June 8.
The participants for the training were the Asosasyon ng Responsableng, Magkakape (AROMA) and Guinayangan Coffee Farmers Entrepreneur (G-KAPE).
The said training will help the participants determine the nutrient status and other soil fertility limiting factors and common coffee pests and diseases that affect the quality of coffee beans.
DA-4A HVCDP aims to improve the yield of the participants and the quality of their coffee beans on existing coffee trees through proper management and fertilizer.
The training consisted of lectures about soil sampling, soil nutrient management, coffee pest and diseases and control management, and coffee tree rejuvenation.
“Mahalaga po ang ganitong training para hindi lang natin iisipin na magkaroon ng ani at kita, kundi hahangarin natin na magkaroon ng mataas na ani at kita. Pero ‘wag lang tayong mag-focus sa dami [ng ani]. Mahalaga rin pong matutuhan natin kung paano magkakaroon ng magandang coffee beans. ‘Pag quality ang kape, mataas ang possibility na tumagal tayo sa industriya,” Julius Dahil, provincial focal person, said.
“Matagal na naming hinihintay ang ganitong training. Kailangan po talaga ng ganito lalo na sa aming nagsisimula from scratch at walang masyadong knowledge. Mas naging malinaw ang mga dapat naming gawin,” Jeanna A. Victor, new robusta and liberica coffee farmer, said.
DA-4A HVCDP also distributed a total of P30,000 worth of interventions that consist of 20 pieces of pruning shear and one unit of grasscutter to the coffee farmers of Guinayangan during the training.
The same training will also be conducted in Amadeo, Silang, and Mendez, Cavite; Pangil and San Pablo, Laguna; Nasugbu and San Juan, Batangas; Dolores, Candelaria, and Sariaya, Quezon. # # # (DA-RFO IVA, RAFIS)