PIA Press Release Thursday, January 05, 2012 Local farmers adopt new technology to increase crop productionCALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro, January 5 (PIA) -- Starting this year, the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro is adopting and implementing a new agricultural technology from the European Union, which made the local farmers optimistic for an increase in crop production.The assistance was made possible through a Memorandum of Agreement signed between the provincial government, represented by Dr. Marpheo E. Marasigan, executive assistant of the governor, and the University of the Philippine-Los Banos, Laguna, represented by Director Gil C. Saguiguit of SEARCA, last December 3. The adoption of the Focused Food Production Assistance for Vulnerable Sector Program of the European Union will address the low rate of adoption of technologies including mechanization among farmers. The partnership of the provincial government with Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) for the implementation of the program will contribute to the attainment of a competitive and sustainable agriculture sector. Oriental Mindoro is one of the six pilot provinces in the country of the program with the primary purpose to help farmers increase their agricultural production and eventually, ensure food security. The new technologies introduced were in planting palay (rice grains) as well as in raising fruits and vegetables with the use of organic fertilizers. For other livelihood activities of farmers, they were also given native female carabaos, chicken, ducks, marine fin fish and fingerlings. (TBO/ PIA4-B-Calapan) |