By Reynaldo Andres/PNA
BATAC CITY — Some 600 farmers in this city received on Friday free farm inputs such as fertilizers and garlic planting materials from the local government to boost their harvest next year.
City Mayor Albert D. Chua said the effort is part of the city government’s thrust of increasing the production of garlic next year, emphasizing that this is also in preparation to its bid to become the first city in the country to produce black garlic through the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU).
During the distribution, Chua encouraged farmers to support this development effort saying they should not be dismayed in planting garlic this year despite its unstable price ceiling.
The mayor expects that next year, Ilocos Norte will face bright prospects in the production of this high-value commodity. The project is also the result of the proposed national garlic industry improvement program aimed at increasing the yield, hectarage and quality of garlic bulbs in Ilocos Norte.
It also hopes to discourage the importation of low-quality garlic bulbs from nearby countries which greatly affect the income of Ilocos farmers.
Chua said the planting materials, which were part of the 26-ton seed stocks, were those of Ilocos White, the variety which has the potential to produce an average of 4.5 tons per hectare.
However, when given the right cultural management practices, the variety can reach the yield potential of 6 tons per hectare.
The planting materials were sourced out from reputable garlic farmers in the province who are producing good quality planting materials.
“We have allotted PHP19 million to purchase planting materials of high-value commercial crops and through this amount, we were able to buy 26 tons of garlic and other farm inputs such as complete (14-14-14), ammonium sulfate (21-0-0), and foliar fertilizers,” Chua said, noting that aside from garlic, the city government has also set aside a substantial amount to buy onion, rice, corn, tobacco, and banana planting materials for next cropping seasons.
According to Chua, farmer-beneficiaries of the city’s seed stock and fertilizer distribution programs are those who are allotting at least a 1,000-square meter area of their farms for garlic.
“Actually, this is also in response to the development effort initiated by the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) when it established a tie-up with the Takko-machi, the well-known garlic capital of Japan,” Chua said, adding that Batac City is fully supporting MMSU’s desire to expand the utilization of fresh garlic in order to produce black garlic, which is a sought-after value-added product from the crop.
Last month, MMSU President Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis said the university has already passed the Phase 1 of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded project on improving the productivity of black garlic in Ilocos Norte, which will kick-off in this city next year.
Agrupis revealed that MMSU is now paving the way for the implementation of this effort, expecting the mayor of Takko-machi to come to Batac City next year, so that “we will execute a memorandum of agreement between the government of Takko-machi and the local government of Batac.
