Pinamungajan Farmers Finish FSTP Corn-Based Production

At least 69 farmers in Pinamungajan town held on to their certificates on Monday as they completed the course on corn-based production system under the Farmer-Scientist RDE Training Program (FSTP).

Provincial Agriculturist Roldan Saragena said that aside from finishing the lectures and tests, the farmers were also able to produce at least 3.5 tons of corn per hectare during the course of the training.

Saragena said FSTP’s aim is to increase farm yields through the use of the best method of farming.

“The goal is to increase the yield of corn in the province from 800 kilos (based on the data of Bureau of Agricultural Research now Philippine Statistics Authority) per hectare to 1.5 to 2 tons per hectare,” Saragena said.

FSTP, implemented in 2009 under Executive Order 710, has already covered a total of 73 municipalities in 34 provinces from Regions 1 to 13.

The 69 graduates will be among the 12,000 farmer-scientists in the country who are equipped with scientific and entrepreneurial mindsets.

Saragena led the commencement exercises along with Reynaldo A. Comia of UP-Los Baños (UPLB) College of Agriculture, CTU Director of Agriculture Dr. Catalino Higida and town Mayor Glenn Baricuatro.

Aside from the certificates, each graduate also received assorted vegetable seeds after the ceremonies.

cebu.gov.ph