BUTUAN CITY -- It is said that for things to grow and progress, there should always be room for improvement.

With this, the Department of Agriculture (DA) –Caraga, in its pursuit of boosting agricultural development in the region, conducted a Re-Orientation and Updating of Techno Demo Guidelines for High Value Crops commodities particularly coffee, cacao, banana, rubber, mango, and vegetables.

The establishment and rehabilitation of techno demos are among the interventions under the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP). It showcases certain technologies that aim for improved productivity and enhanced quality. 

DA-Caraga HVCDP coordinator Noli G. Orog said that it has been noted that in the implementation of techno demos in the previous years, some of the provisions in the approved guidelines. He added that it is important to follow the guidelines to attain the sought after outcome. 

“Since we are after certain outcomes from these techno demos and so as not to compromise our program intervention, we should keep in mind the purpose of having these techno demos which is to showcase a particular technology and promote its adoption,” he said.  

Orog further said that in Caraga, the techno demos for the above-mentioned commodities are focused mainly on fertilization to address the issue of low productivity due to minimum and insufficient inputs. Another one of its objectives is the attainment of high quality yield through proper management including the practice of Good Agricultural Practices.

After the presentation of the existing guidelines, the group discussed matters to be modified to update the said guidelines based also on recent technology updates.

The establishment or rehabilitation of techno demos is one of the support interventions for the One DA Reform Agenda’s 18 Key Strategies to transform agriculture particularly on empowerment of partners.

The activity was spearheaded by the HVCDP last February 3 and 4 in Butuan City and was attended by HVCDP provincial coordinators, DA – Agricultural Program Coordinating Office (APCO) chiefs, DA-Research personnel and other DA personnel.  (Vanessa P. Sanchez, DA Caraga–RAFIS/PIA-Caraga)