City Agri: Shaping the future of farming in Koronadal
To shape the future of farming in Koronadal indefinitely by applying agricultural sustainable development principles, the City Agriculturist’s Office (City Agri) is currently involved in a variety of strategies and significant programs in the fields of planting rice, vegetables, high-value crops, corn, providing livelihood, agribusiness, agricultural infrastructure and assisting fishermen.
From January to May of this year, 81 farmers benefited from the city government’s 4 million peso rice incentive of P2.00 per kilo. The procurement of 22 hills of high-value seedlings and inputs for the vegetable demonstration area, with a total budget of P450,000, is currently underway. A P400,000 purchase of tilapia and catfish fingerlings is among the priorities.
As part of their Rice Production Program, City Agri distributed the first 7,000 bags of certified seeds to rice farmers. The program, which is funded with 4 million pesos, has already benefited 2,936 farmers. This is only a portion of the 12.75 million peso allocation from the Department of Agriculture-RFO XII, which aims to distribute 17,000 bags of certified seeds.
The City Agri-Research Division, on the other hand, is currently prioritizing the construction of a Techno Demo facility to conduct varietal trials of various upland rice varieties affected by organic rice fertilizers. This enables the said office to determine the best variety to plant in the upland barangays using organic fertilizer.
In collaboration with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, construction of an Aqua Culture Hatchery at Demo Farm, Barangay GPS, is also underway. The P1 million facility will serve as an incubator for eggs, which will develop into fingerlings for distribution to city fishermen.
As part of the office’s livelihood project, two women’s associations received P50,000 each. The Department of Agriculture-PhilMech provided 4 combine rice harvester units, 4 tractor units, and a transplanter unit to an estimated 800 farmers.
Briefings with corn farmers will continue in preparation for the scheduled distribution of corn marketing assistance funded by the local government in the amount of one million pesos. The Farmers Training Center at Demo Farm, Barangay GPS, which is currently 70% complete, is being repaired to improve farmer training even further.
Furthermore, as part of their Rice Production Program, the said office distributed the first 7,000 bags of certified seeds to rice farmers. The program, which is funded with 4 million pesos, has already benefited 2,936 farmers. This is only a portion of the Department of Agriculture-RFO XII’s 12.75 million peso allocation, which aims to distribute 17,000 bags of certified seeds.
The City Agri-Research Division, on the other hand, is currently prioritizing the construction of a Techno Demo facility to conduct varietal trials of various upland rice varieties affected by organic rice fertilizers. This enables the said office to determine the best variety of seed to be planted in the upland barangays using organic fertilizer.
To address the future food security crisis, the City Agri works to find a solution now through sustainable programs and projects that will benefit Koronadal’s future in the long run.