GOOD HARVEST. This undated photo shows Mayor Maria Angela Garcia of Mariveles, Bataan checking on the vegetables ready for harvest in one of the farms employing precision farming method under an Israeli farm technology. The initial harvests were shared for free with medical front-liners and patients of government hospitals in the province. (Contributed photo)
DINALUPIHAN, Bataan – Initial harvest of vegetables from three farms in this town employing precision farming with the use of drip irrigation were shared with medical front-liners and patients of government hospitals in the province.
Mayor Maria Angela Garcia said on Monday, 168 kilograms (kgs) of tomatoes and 83 kgs. of eggplants were distributed for free to those in the district hospitals in Dinalupihan, Mariveles, Bagac and Orani, the mega quarantine facility in Orani, the Mariveles Mental Wellness and Medical Center and the Bataan General Hospital in Balanga City.
Last January 26, Wilfredo Adriano began harvesting 1.8 tons of tomatoes from his farm in Barangay San Simon, while Flordorada Payar of Barangay Colo and Ariel Mallari of Barangay Dalao started to gather 1.5 tons of eggplants on their farms where drip irrigation, an Israel farm technology, is being utilized.
Other farms under the program are planted with other high-value crops like pepper, okra (lady’s fingers), squash, corn, melon, and watermelon.
There will be continuous harvest in March and April this year, municipal administrator Rollie Rojas said.
“Mga masustansiyang gulay at prutas para sa programa ng nutrisyon tungo sa healthy lifestyle ng bawat Bataeño (Nutritious vegetables and fruits for the nutrition program towards healthy lifestyle of every Bataeño),” the Dinalupihan mayor said in an interview.
The program envisioned by Garcia to transform Dinalupihan into a model "agropolis" in Central Luzon is under the public-private partnership program of the provincial government of Bataan and Agrilever–Israel.
Its target is for farmers to have a yield four times more from high-value crops than the traditional method through the precision farming method. (PNA)
