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Saturday, August 19, 2006
Agri agency: Farmers can only accept tested, doable technologies
FARMERS will not hesitate to accept and adopt technologies if they are fully tested, doable and translated into understandable language.
Agriculture Secretary Doming Panganiban in a press conference after he spoke to the participants of the 1st Technology Commercialization Forum and Product Display for Regional Cluster IV at the Davao Convention Center Thursday said there is a need for DA to provide farmers full understanding on the concept of new product.
"Farmer does not want to take risk because he's been taking risks all his life," he said.
He said technologies are guidepost of the department in extending the products to small farmers at least cost to improve living standards with higher production.
He said DA is encountering challenges on how farmers will accept and adopt new technologies since these will determine the course and character of economic development especially in Mindanao.
"We need to formulate some actions on what has been planned in line with the President's declaration of making Mindanao as an agribusiness hub," he said.
Panganiban said that at the forefront of the technological endeavor is the biotechnology program.
Among others Panganiban stressed that DA will bring the full potential of farm and aquatic technology and biotechnology to farmers and fishers through the technology commercialization scheme, which could be critical to the success in the future.
Policies that are aligned with technology commercialization are inexpensive and environment-friendly to reduce the cost of farm and fishery production as well as teach the farmers the technical and economic aspects.
Among the technologies that DA are promoting, are safe and affordable tool that will prevent bugtok in cardaba even as it accelerates the process of bagging the bananas; low input technologies that will permit the productive use of farm waste materials in the production of corn; upland rice cultivars for acidic upland soil; simple system that permits abalone seed production and culture in marine cages; and low cost but highly efficient greenhouse built from inexpensive indigenous materials.
Panganiban said they are also pursuing mariculture highway to allow transport vessels to call the ports in areas with there are mariculture parks so the fish produce could also access other markets towards the international buyers.
He however said that technological processes are designed to suit the soil, waters, topography and climatic conditions of Mindanao.
Given this, the business side could take off and could take the lead of what has been initiated by government," he added.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (August 19, 2006 issue)
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