DA-8 Regional Director Urges Farmers To Practice Multicropping

July 8,2011


DA Regional Director Urges Farmers To Practice Multi-cropping
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Department of Agriculture Regional Director-8 has strongly urged farmers to practice multi-stories cropping on every hectare lot to increase plant yields.
This was the statement of Antonio Gerundio in his speech as guest speaker during the opening of Agri-Fish Fair and Garden Show held at mini-forest at the Capitol site.
He pointed out that farmers should not rely on one or two kinds of plants per hectare since with DA technology it can also be planted to other crops, aside from coconuts, vegetables, fruits, spices and rootcrops.
Referring the application of multi-cropping in Cavite, where the Cebuano DA Director has lived for the past 30 years ,he disclosed this was what the Caviteño farmers were doing for many years now.
“With this technique in planting variety of plants in every hectare of their lots”, he said, “the farmers in Cavite have earned more money from their harvests”.
However, Gerundio admonished that farmers, fisherfolks and those who want to engage in livestock industry, to seek the DA’s technical assistance to improve their harvests.
The DA Director also enjoined farmers to plant more jackfruit trees aside from the aforesaid crops and plants since this fruit will easily thrive in the area.”The 30 hectares in Ormoc planted to jackfruits are not even sufficient to provide adequate supply for our processing plant”, he said.
The Director further persuaded rich LGUs to join forces with the poor LGUs and work together to enhance their respective agricultural activities to increase productions.
Gerundio advised municipal mayors and DA officials to have their own road map on agriculture and fishery in their municipalities. This could serve as guide in identifying areas for suitable projects.
He emphasized that construction of fish port should only be located in strategic places to avoid duplication and that there will be no more grants on rice and corn.”The seed funds for the projects were already diverted to irrigation”, he clarified.”What we are offering now at Kagawaran are tractors for farmers”.
He said that request for tractors should be endorsed to his office by the Congressman and the Governor of a particular province.
He also unfolded that there’s money in agriculture and that milking carabao can give 10 to 16 liters of milk per day from 8 to 10 months period.
He also confessed he was able to send his children to college by raising milking carabaos to pay for the tuition fees of his college students.”I have even extra of 10 remaining animals after all my children have graduated from college”, he proudly said.”It depends upon how you apply a technique to earn money”.
The Agriculture Director has observed that many sons of farmers have no interest to follow the footsteps of their fathers and choose to take up other courses or work in big cities.
Nevertheless, he strongly persuaded sons of farmers/fisherfolks to follow the footsteps of their fathers by taking up courses related to agri-aqua.”We cannot be all doctors,engineers,architects,journalists,educators,anthropologists,etc.We also need group of agriculturists and farmers to engage in producing more and more rice and other foods for the people’s consumption”, he stressed.
On the other hand, Governor Damian Mercado divulged that there are now 26 fish sanctuaries in various municipalities of the province.
The Governor said that P10,000 shall be given to barangay officials to encourage them to protect the fish sanctuaries located in their respective jurisdictional areas so that it can increase its fish population.
For his part, Congressman Roger Mercado also enjoined the agricultural sector to plant more and more fruits,vegetables,rootcrops,rice,corn,spices and other crops and make Southern Leyte producer and not only consumer.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

P.S.The 10-year-old City of Maasin still has no skin specialist/dermatologist for several years now. Some people who have the means with skin problems can easily go to Cebu City.However,the less moneyed who have some skin afflictions cannot afford for that travel in Cebu for consultation.We hope there will be a skin specialist who is interested to open a clinic here, even for three times a week.