People’s Day at DA

text and photo by AMBROSIO R. VILLORENTE

People’s Day with the Department of Agriculture (DA) was held on Thursday, July 30 at Punta Villa Resort, Arevalo, Iloilo City.

DA 6 Regional Director Larry P. Nacionales welcomed the participants by presenting them with agricultural statistics of Western Visayas. He recited the performance of the DA and the farmers of Region VI.

Dr. Joyce S. Wendam of the DA Regional Policy Planning presented what she called "The Citizens Charter". This is a litany of services to the people consisting of technical services, research, quarantine, laboratory, seeds and other planting materials. Dr. Wendam recited the process how to avail of these services, requirements in avail-ment, and even the time allotted to service providers to serve.

Dr. Rogelio N. Concepcion, former director of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management discussed "climate change" which took him two hours including brief three times black out.

Concepcion presented the present situation brought about by climate change, offered few but important means to mitigate and even stop climate change. He predicted a very sad scenario if the present life style of the people is continued or climate change gets worst.

Dr. Venancio Mamaril of the Bureau of Plant Industry discussed the government program GMO through the National Biotechnology Program In Agriculture Standards on Organic Product. He discussed the GMO tests such as test for feed and food, test for production and consumption. He neither recommended acceptance nor rejection of GMO products.

Dr. Rodel Maghirang of UPLB introduced several terminologies on organic products which are brain twitting. Maghirang in his discussion on standards of Organic Products delved on the need of certification of organic products to assure standardized and quality products to both producers and consumers.

The People’s Day ended with discussion on good practices in banana production. Mr. Ricardo Palmares, a sugar cane transformed banana producers shared his ex-periences in the production of Lakatan bananas from his 18 hectares farm.

"There is much money in banana," declared Palmares. He said, his three hectares harvested yielded him 36,000 kilograms of bananas valued at P720.000 at P20.00 per kilogram farm gate price. /MP