WV farmers produce commercial organic fertilizer
Farmers in Western Visayas are now producing organic fertilizer with the distribution of 160 units of community-based composting facility by the Department of Agriculture in the region, a DA 6 press release said.
Agriculture Regional Director Larry Nacionales said farmers can reduce cost of production with the use of organic fertilizer because commercial fertilizer is very expensive.
Organic fertilizer increases the fertility level of soil and is not harmful to the environment, he said.
He added that producing vermicompost is economical because it makes use of waste materials such as rice stalk or straw, twigs and leaves, fruit and vegetable peeling and sugarcane tops.
Vermicomposting helps solve garbage disposal problems.
The DA distributes vermi worms and portable shredder machines to the local government units so they can produce their own vermicompost.
These community-based composting facilities are managed by the farmers organizations. The beneficiaries undergo trainings on its operation and maintenance being conducted by the DA and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management.
Recently, 77 beneficiaries attended the technology briefing on organic fertilizer production, operation and maintenance of portable shredder machines. The beneficiaries are farmers in organized rice cluster farms in Western Visayas.
The briefing aimed to strengthen the institutional capacity of the farmers organizations in producing organic fertilizer and assist them to become commercial organic fertilizer producers.
The community-based composting facilities were distributed in the provinces as follows: Aklan, 29; Antique, 34; Capiz, 25; Guimaras, 5; Iloilo, 50; and Negros Occidental, 17.
