Farmers group wants Barili to be Cebu’s leading corn-producing municipality

Farmers decide to go into the commercial planting of corn after their visit to the 10-hectare corn demo farm in Barili, Cebu. | DA-7 photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines—A group of farmers wants to make Barili the top corn-producing municipality in Cebu.

More than 70 members of the Bagakay-Nasipit Vegetable Irrigators Association saw the potential of corn production when they visited a 10-hectare demo farm in Barangay Bagakay, Barili, according to a news release posted on the Facebook page of the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7).

During said visit, Norberto Ouano, focal person for the DA-7 corn program echoed the call of Agriculture Secretary William Dar for farmers “to plant not only for their own consumption but also for everyone.”

The open pollinated variety (OPV) corn was planted on a three-hectare demo farm while the remaining seven hectares was planted with hybrid yellow corn.

Paterno Lozada, the association president, expressed his gratitude for bringing the project to their area. “We wanted Barili to be the top corn producer in Cebu,” Lozada added.

Marya Zea Villaganas, Agriculturist II of the Cebu Provincial Agriculture Office, explained that the corn techno demo farm would show farmers the benefits of proper implementation of the modern technology for planting corn.

“We are expected to harvest higher yield and that is because we followed the protocol on corn farming taught by the facilitators,” said farmer participant Mansueta Villegas.

Villaganas also noted that the association could use the income generated by the demo farm as a seed capital.

Meanwhile, Provincial Agriculturist Roldan Saragena assured the participants that the government will continue to support and assist the farmers.

In a phone interview, Ouano told CDN Digital that the farmers in Barili have been planting corn for their own consumption. But with the commercialization and modernization focus directed by Secretary Dar, DA-7 further enhanced their ongoing corn program, he added.

According to Ouano, there is an existing demand for yellow corn as a material for feeds for livestock industry. However, they have to source their corn from other areas such as General Santos City and Isabela because of the low production of yellow corn here.

At present, the normal production for corn farms range from 1.5 tons to 2.5 tons per hectare per cropping. In contrast, the DA-funded demo farms generate five to six tons per hectare, per cropping.

To assist farmers’ organizations in mechanization, DA has been supplying corn cluster areas with tractors that costs between P1.5 million and P2.5 million, depending on the horsepower, Ouano said.

DA-7 also established two corn processing in Cebu to serve the corn farmers. The agency shouldered 85 percent of the project cost while the organization that operates the facility contributed 15 percent, he added.

The 10-hectare compact corn techno demo was a joint program of the Department of Agriculture Corn Program, Cebu Provincial Agriculture Office, Barili Municipal Agriculture Office and the Bagakay farmers associations. / dcb