Corn harvesting at the Negros First Integrated Agricultural Center in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental. (Photo courtesy of PIO Negros Occidental)
BACOLOD CITY – The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) in Negros Occidental is implementing three projects at the Negros First Integrated Agricultural Center (NFIAC) in Himamaylan City to boost production of corn, rice, and other crops.
The components of the PHP11.8 million projects are seed production and certification, sustainable integrated farming, and support for the establishment of corn production in various demonstration farms.
“These are all our projects at the NFIAC. We hope to improve this facility so it can serve its purpose,” OPA officer-in-charge Dina Genzola said in a statement on Tuesday.
As support to “Binhi sang Probinsiya,” the seed production and certification component aims to enhance the production of high-quality seeds that will address seeds shortage and make them available to farmers.
With a total project cost of PHP5 million, it will fund the procurement of inputs and labor costs for the NFIAC provincial demo and seed farm and the newly-organized Negros Occidental Seed Growers and Agriculture Cooperative, covering 75 hectares of rice area.
Among the inputs initially distributed were 150 bags of registered rice seeds and 890 bags of various fertilizers.
Under the sustainable upland and lowland integrated farming with an allocation of PHP5 million, farmer associations from 13 local government units (LGUs) have been identified as target beneficiaries.
These are those engaged in sugarcane, corn, and rice-based farming systems across the province.
According to the OPA briefer, the project will promote crop diversification by distributing leguminous crops and assorted vegetables for production to augment the income of farmers and increase the availability of good quality corn seeds.
Corn shellers and manual corn seeders will also be available to assist the farmers in planting and corn milling activities.
The targets for corn production facilities, with a funding of PHP1.812 million, are various demo farms for interested farmers.
“The project will serve as a model corn farm for farmers who want to engage in this industry and provide feed mill raw materials to ensure that our local poultry and animal industry has adequate feed supply,” the OPA said.
The project includes the provision of certified corn seeds and fertilizers and profiling related expenses and activities. (PNA)
