CONNER, Apayao (PIA) – Banana production in the province is expected to improve as 80 farmers from the banana-producing towns of Conner, Kabugao, Pudtol and Flora completed the three-month school-on-air course on banana farming.

The program launched last June is a tie-up of the Department of Agriculture-CAR, Apayao State College (ASC), Apayao local government units and DWPE-Radyo Pilipinas, Tuguegarao.

In the course which was delivered through radio, and supported by field demo, practicum and validation, the 80 farmers learned improved banana farming technology and management, pre-post harvest practices, pest control and prevention and product marketing.

ASC President John N. Cabansag encouraged the 80 graduates to convert their acquired knowledge to economic profit for their families and the province.

With the advance technology you learned from the course, may you now be of great help in developing the province’s banana industry, Cabansag said.

Lagrimas Salisipan of Flora municipality, who is one of the graduates, shared her new acquired knowledge on tissue culture, the technology in producing virus-free new banana suckers from existing mother corm. This prevents the new banana plants from diseases, she said.  (JDP/LL-PIA CAR, Kalinga)