DA-7 projects up to eight metric ton yield for Negros Oriental model corn farm

Salvador Diputado, Central Visayas regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture, vows to provide technical support for for the corn farm model in Bayawan, Negros Oriental. (DA photo)

CEBU CITY—The Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7) projects up to eight metric tons of yield at a model corn farm in Barangay Kalumboyan, Bayawan City in Negros Oriental.

In a report posted on its Facebook page, DA-7 projected that the 50-hectare corn model farm would yield between seven to eight metric tons per hectare.

DA-7 based this projection on the conducted crop cutting which exceeded the model farm’s target of 5 metric tons per hectare using hybrid corn seeds.

During the corn harvest festival held in the area, DA-7 regional executive director Salvador Diputado committed to give corn chiller post-harvest facility and provide a technician in order to sustain the program.

On the other hand, Bayawan City Mayor Pryde Henry Teves encouraged farmers to produce more. Teves also promised assistance in marketing the farmers’ produce.

Bernard Limbaga, corn and cassava action officer of the Provincial Training Coordination Office of the Department of Agriculture in Negros Oriental, explained that the 10 hectares demo farm in Barangay Kalumboyan had an impressive outcome last year.

Because of this, Limbaga said they decided to set up the 50-hectare model farm in the same barangay. Forty out of more than 400 members of the Kalumboyan Multi-Purpose Farmers Association (KAMULFA) participated in the activity.

“Aside from the seeds, fertilizers, and technical assistance, the Department of Agriculture under the corn program, turned over one tractor to the association to help them lower input cost,” Limbaga added.

Nonita Guiron, a 53-year-old resident of sitio Tiama-an, Barangay Kalumboyan expressed her gratitude for all the interventions they received from DA and the Bayawan City government.

“I have been farming since I was young, following the traditional way. I can testify that if we will only follow the proper farming style and application of fertilizer taught by DA, our production will increase,” Guiron said.

Pedrito Langga of Purok 3 said he expected a 30 to 50 percent increase of corn production because of the program.

The goal of the model farm is to help increase corn productivity since Negros Oriental has very low yield per hectare.

Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, Negros Oriental generated only 0.83 metric tons of harvest per hectare. Negros Oriental has 55,000 hectares planted with corn, with almost 7,000 hectares located in Bayawan City. | dcb