Iligan City farmers are eyed to boost their corn production with the provided agri inputs and facilities from DA-10. 

 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – To improve the local production of yellow and white corn to meet market demand, the Department of Agriculture – Northern Mindanao (DA-10) turned over P535,500 worth of corn inputs and facility to the farmers of Iligan City.

Funded under the Corn program, DA-10 Regional Technical Director for Operations Carlota S. Madriaga together with Provincial Operations Center chief for Lanao del Norte, Abdulharis P. Paporo, handed over said agri interventions to Iligan City mayor Frederick W. Siao during the city government’s flag raising ceremony hosted by its agriculture’s office, held earlier this week, March 4.

The roster of agri assistance includes 35 bags of hybrid white corn (8888) seeds (P3.5K at 9 kilos) and 100 bags of urea fertilizer (P1.4K per bag at 50 kilos), which are intended for 20 farmers of Brgy. Ditucalan.

Rounding up the list is the provision of a mechanical corn sheller unit to the 35-membered Gawgawon Farmers’ Association of Brgy. Mainit with an estimated corn cultivation of 50 hectares.

With said provisions, DA-10 Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado is optimistic that it will help enhance the region’s corn production by increasing the grain yield per hectare of yellow and white corn and closing the gap between supply and requirements of different corn processors, given the increasing demand of corn for food and other industrial uses.

Likewise, he underscored the need for farmers to be part of an active corn cluster organization and have its members be enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) to be eligible to receive such support.

As development partners of the agri department, the Iligan city government complemented DA’s Organic Agriculture program as it also launched the “Basura ni Juan: Tabang sa Kaumahan Project” as a means to address the solid waste disposal challenges and promote organic farming practices in the locality.

On the same occasion, the Philippine Crop Insurance, Corp. also turned over an indemnity check worth around P120K to 40 Iligan City farmers whose farms were stricken by pests and calamities.# (JLO/Photo supplied: CLGU Iligan)