Farmers in Negros Oriental finished FSTP-Corn Production System

Some thirty eight corn farmers of Pamplona, Negros Oriental finished the four months Farmer Scientists RDE Training Program (FSTP)-Corn Based Production System Phase III.

Pamplona Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO) Justiniana Catipay confirmed the farmers as graduates after completing the 16 weeks or 4-month training conducted by the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) and the University of the Philippines-Los Banos (UPLB).

"We established a 5,000 sq. meter area experimental plots for the 5 corn varieties of OPV 222, VAR 6, tinigib, lagkitin and yellow corn. Each varieties adopted the organic and inorganic fertilization. The farmer-trainees made comparison which of the plots showed good fertilization performance," Catipay said.

Sarah Perocho, Department of Agriculture-7 Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer (DA7 -APCO) of the province said that DA is always with the farmers providing agricultural assistance.

"Nalipay ko nga naay daghang batan-on nga niapil ining bansaybansay kay kamo (mga kabataan) maoy maningkamot nga mapalapad pa ang atong kamaisan. Ug ang mga edaran nga mag-uuma maoy mogiya sa mga kabataan," Perocho said. (I'm happy that more youths attended this training because you will be the ones who will expand the corn areas. Your elders will guide you.)

Farmer-graduates Isabelita Zerna, Judelyn Ributaso and Marcial Limboya of Cabante of Brgy. San Isidro, Pamplona, expressed their gratitude to DA, ATI and their MAO for the training.

Zerna said that she is now adopting the technologies learned from the training and will share her knowledge and farm experiences to other farmers.

Ributaso also shared that the training boosted her farming knowledge and production.

"Bisag delikado nga muapil karong panahona sa mga tapok-tapok tungod sa pandemya, ni-apil gihapon ko kay ganahan man ko nga mapalapdan akong kahibalo sa pagpananum og mais," Ributaso said. (Despite the risk of having a gathering due to pandemic, I still joined the training because I want to broaden my knowledge on corn production.)

"Maayo kaayo ni nga training nga among naangkon. Ako jud ning ipa-ambit sa akong mga silingan ug mga kauban sa pag-ugmad kay daku kaayo ni nga tabang nga mapalambo among abot," said Limboyan. (The training is very useful. I will share my knowledge to my neighbors and co-farmers because this is a big help in improving our production.)

The FSTP graduation was attended by Municipal Mayor Janice Degamo, SB Chair on Agriculture Archer Baldado and Brgy. Captain Renante Baldado.