By Gail Momblan/Philippine News Agency
ILOILO CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 6 (Western Visayas) has committed to bring the Sloping Corn Production in Sloping Areas (SCOPSA) technique to farmers in Iloilo province’s component city of Passi.
Remelyn Recoter, DA-6 regional director, said that farmers need to be equipped with correct knowledge in farming in order for them to raise their yield without degrading natural resources.
She said the DA is implementing the SCOPSA to enhance corn productivity by adopting sustainable adaptive technologies in sloping areas.
Recoter on Tuesday graced the inauguration of the Imbang Grande-Tagubong-Geumua-Agahon-Agtabo farm-to-market road, the biggest Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) road project in Western Visayas.
“We saw today that more than 80 percent of land used for farming is sloped and the topsoil has the tendency to erode,” said Recoter in an interview.
She said farmers grow corn on these sloped areas, while some grow rice and sugarcane.
“DA 6-is committed to bring corn production experts in the area to teach sloping agricultural technology,” she said.
The regional agriculture office will coordinate with the Passi City Agriculture Office and the Iloilo Provincial Agriculture Office to arrange the training.
Recoter said they target to have 30 participants for a batch of trainees from the villages of Imbang Grade, Talongonan, Jaguimutan, Salngan, Alimono, Magdungao, Tagubong, Agtabo, Dalicanan, and Gemumua Agahon. These villages are also beneficiaries of the newly-inaugurated road project.
Recoter said the 30 trainees will then echo the technique to other farmers in their respective villages.
Based on DA-6 data, the 10 villages have a total of 352.72 hectares of area planted with corn; 1,095 hectares of sugarcane; and 1,230.55 hectares of rice.
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