Iloilo to inaugurate FITS Center
Governor Niel D. Tupas Sr. together with Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Executive Director Larry P. Nacionales and Executive Director of PCARRD and Prof. Joseph Edward O. Idemne, Consortium Director of WESVARRDEC, is set to inaugurate the Farmer’s Information and Technology Services(FITS) Center of the Province of Iloilo today, July 8, 2009, located at the 5th floor Provincial Agriculture’s Office.
The Farmer’s Information and Technology Center(FITS) or Techno Pinoy Center serves as a one-stop service facility nearest the majority of farmers, entrepreneurs, and other clients in a given area. It provides fast access to information and technologies in forms appropriate to the clients’ needs.
The services offered by FITS: information services wherein technology information in various multi-media formats; exhibits of new technologies and products; SMS; and FITS Databases. Another is Technology Services: Technology training, technology clinic, linking clients to experts and financial institutions, technical assistance, and consultancy, support to enterprise development, and linking with sources of planting materials, animal stocks, and agricultural inputs.
Iloilo being a rice producing province needs to increase its productivity every year through scientific methods and the taking into consideration climate changes according to Dr. Ildefonso Toledo, OIC of the Agriculture’s Office.
Dr. Toledo further stated that this is also in line with the vision of Governor Tupas who fully supports the agricultural program of the Province. To date the Province is still continuing the 50/50 scheme for seeds subsidy which means that the 50% is paid by the farmers to the government in the form of certified seeds.
To enhance rice production there is a project funded by the 20% Internal Allotment Fund which will buy foundation seeds to be planted in the areas surrounding the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center in Pototan. In which the products will be registered seeds to be spread out to seed farms. The result will be good seeds to be used for planting materials which will bring about higher and better yields.
The agricultures’s office will be putting up a fresh water park which will showcase technology in the cultivation of fresh water fishes such as tilapia, hito and fresh water prawn or olang, mudfish and others.
In livestock production, the office has continued its project on artificial insemination for swine in the five breeding stations all over the province in order to upgrade stocks in the vicinity of the breeding stations. Goat-raising is another project wherein pasture grasses are being planted while a controlled study for goats is being undertaken. It is also in the IRC that animal manure is being tested to produce biogas to be used as cooking fuel for the inmate’s food.
All in all, crop production is being pushed through the use of organic fertilizers. Dr. Toledo said that they want to educate the farmers to be more scientific in their farming methods because there is the advent of climate change. They have to study what crops to plant that is best suited for their area and soil type.
Lastly Dr. Toledo said that for farmers to realize success, they should make good use of planting materials, they should have good soil conditions and favorable weather or climate. He also stressed that farmers should go back to old natural farming systems, use farm recycling in order to reduce production cost especially in rice and the commodity should be market-driven that their technology should maximize production in consideration of OTOP or one town one product scheme. (Capitol News)