BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (PIA) - -  The Department of Agriculture (DA) has recognized the farm plantations of Aggub Irrigation Association (AIA) and Alay Kapwa  Multi-Purpose Cooperative (AKMPC) as model farms.

Jaylord Bagasin,  regional assistant focal person of F2C2 and assistant coordinator of the Rice Program, said the AIA and AKMPC have been included in the list of Farmer’s Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) for the implementation of the Rice Model Farm Cluster funded by the DA for this year.

He said the selection of FCAs in Cagayan Valley  is in line with Administrative Order No. 27 2020 which  aims to promote Agroenterprise Clustering Approach (AECA) to the following FCAs as a system to facilitate the delivery of quality palay from 100 hectares cluster areas to established rice milling facilities.

“By establishing a 100-hectare rice model farms in 2023 wet season and 2023-2024 dry season, the project aims to promote and spur the adoption among the farmers on Balanced Fertilization and Pesticide Use Strategy and appropriate rice-based farming systems which are products of R4D studies”, Bagasin said.

He said  21 cluster leaders were recently trained as Local Farmer Technicians (LFTs) by DA RFO 02 and ATI RTC 02 last month.

Bagasin said the LFTs, will also showcase the application of the technologies in their respective farms and facilitate the production and collective marketing of palay under the supervision of LGUs and the FCAs.

Dr. Marvin Luis, DA RFO 2 regional rice program focal person, said that while not all farm inputs of the farmers can be provided by the DA under the project, the FCAs are encouraged to provide counterpart in the form of production loan with minimal interest to their farmer members to ensure the farm input requirement of their crop are applied.

"I hope that though this partnership farmers will be able to increase their yield and income”, he said.(BME/PIA NVizcaya)