Program readies farmers for organic rice production

ALAMINOS CITY—Farmers in this city and three western Pangasinan towns have started planting organic rice this week, the culmination of their training to become organic rice suppliers of the province.

The farmers’ training was funded with P3.5 million from the Department of Agriculture.

In October, the farmers underwent a four-week course in organic fertilizer production that consisted of lessons in Japanese bokashi composting, fermentation and vermicasting (earthworm droppings) before they applied their lessons on planting and nurturing organic rice for the next 11 weeks.

Nenita Victo of the La Liga Policy Institute, who supervised the training, said 105 farmers from Alaminos, 116 from Bani, 40 from Burgos and 85 from Dasol turned up for the sessions.

Mayor Hernani Braganza said Alaminos has been at the forefront of organic farming.

“There are farmers who produce organically-grown rice but it is still balanced fertilization for most of the farmers,” he said.

In Bani, farm soil is recovering from acidity induced by excessive application of chemical fertilizers. Bani farmers have learned the process of vermicomposting for fertilizers. Burgos farmers also produce organic fertilizer.

Of the four towns involved in the project, Dasol farmers turned out to have zero knowledge about organic rice production but were enthusiastic to learn and had started composting, according to officials who helped the farmers.

The trained farmers use traditional rice seeds or accredited seed banks, said Gester Tolentino of the city agriculture office.

Anabelle Hebron, of the city cooperatives office, said marketing organic rice would be easy. “We still lack the supply. We can barely cope with the demand. But the [organic rice] market targets the upper class and the upper middle class and those who are conscious of their health,” she said.

Aside from the high value a farmer can charge for organic rice, the “Organikong Palayan” program restores soil fertility and reduces expenses for agricultural inputs, she said. Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon