Farmers Produce Organic Fertilizer

Numancia farmers display their organic farm produce above.

Farmers are now producing their own organic fertilizer with the distribution of 160 units of community-based composting facility in the whole region by the Department of Agriculture.

According to　DA Director Larry P. Nacionales, the farmers can reduce their cost of production with the use of organic fertilizer considering that commercial fertilizer is very expensive. Moreover, organic fertilizer increases the fertility level of soil and is not harmful to the environment, added Nacionales.

The director said that producing vermicompost is economical because it makes use of waste materials such as rice stalk or straw, twigs and leaves, fruit and vegetable peelings and sugarcane tops. Vermicomposting helps solve garbage disposal problems.

To hasten organic fertilizer production, the DA distributes vermi worms and portable shredder machines to the local government units so that they can produce their own vermicompost. These community-based composting facilities are managed by the farmers organizations. The beneficiaries undergo trainings on its operation and maintenance being conducted by the DA and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management.

Recently, there were 77 beneficiaries of these community-based composting facilities who attended the technology briefing on organic fertilizer production, operation and maintenance of portable shredder machines. The　beneficiaries are farmers in organized rice cluster farms in Western Visayas. The briefing aimed to strengthen the institutional capacity of the farmers organizations in producing organic fertilizer and assist them to become commercial organic fertilizer producers. 　

The community-based composting facilities were distributed in the provinces as follows: Aklan – 29; Antique – 34; Capiz – 25; Guimaras – 5; Iloilo – 50; and Negros Occidental – 17.# (TAGerafil/DA 6)　/MP