IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY FOR INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

They say that to succeed in any field, continuous education is a must.

By Vanessa P. Sanchez

And this is what Bruno G. Ampoloquio, a farmer from Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, must have bore in his mind as even though he holds a degree in agriculture and has already a number of years of experience in farming, he still joins training and seminars to learn new things and be kept abreast of the new technologies in agriculture.

Ampoloquio is engaged in banana, mango, and vegetable farming. He is a member of the Nasipit Vegetable Growers Association (NAVEGROWA). Last year, their association was chosen to be the project cooperator of the Techno Demo on Vegetable Production conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA) - Caraga through the High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) and in coordination with the Municipal Agriculture Office of Nasipit.

He said that the technology that he learned from the techno demo such as proper land preparation, use of plastic mulch, use of quality seeds, balance and timely application of fertilizers, proper pruning, sufficient irrigation, and Integrated Pest and Disease Management, he now applies on his own vegetable production. He said that there is really a notable difference in his production of ampalaya compared to previous croppings.

“In my previous ampalaya venture, I used to harvest an average of 100 kilos from 400 hills, but for this cropping, applying what

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

I have learned from our techno demo last year, I have been harvesting an average of 300 kilos from 240 hills. And bigger production means bigger income,” he said.

Ampoloquio said this is why he does not close his door to learning new things, and because he believes education is a continuous process. In addition, he encourages other farmers to also take part in training so that they too can improve their farming practices and succeed in their farming endeavors. (DA 13 – RAFIS/PIA Agusan del Norte)