By Reynaldo Andres/PNA
BATAC CITY — At least 59 farmers from the list of 207 farmer-cooperators of two barangays in this city were chosen to till the 17.7-hectare production area of a university lot here.
The selected farmers, who are residents of Barangays Tabug and Quiling Sur have limited landholdings, hence, the Mariano Marcos State University decided to share the government land with them.
Dr. Shirley Agrupis, MMSU president, said the gesture is another way of involving neighboring farmers in showcasing the latest production technologies developed by the university in the past 41 years since it was founded in Batac City.
“Through the years, the university has generated a lot of mature technologies and we want to share and apply them in their farms,” she said.
In the launch at the university farms on Thursday, Agrupis said the activity, dubbed as Coordinated Agribusiness, Research and Extension Strategies (CARES), is a new program aimed at sharing the resources of MMSU to the farmer-cooperators to boost their income.
Farmers would plant rice, corn, garlic, and vegetables to the 3,000 square meters given to each of them.
Prior to becoming cooperators, the farmers were trained by the university’s experts on this produce.
“Since you chose to become part and beneficiaries of our programs, we try our best to address your production needs and concerns, including the stakeholders in the communities that we operate,” Agrupis said, assuring that “we have opened the doors of MMSU so that you can get in touch with us anytime you need our expertise.”
Meanwhile, executive assistant of Agrupis, Dr. Stanley Malab, who is behind the CARES program, said the university would closely monitor the farmers’ activities and promised to improve the university’s farm facilities for sustainable farming.
Malab said the university is only requiring a minimum share of 25 percent from the farmers’ harvest as stipulated in the signed contract.
