The Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) recently partners with the National Food Authority (NFA) to increase the number of farmers who could benefit farm soil testing through promoting Mobile Soil Test Clinics during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on July 20 at the NFA Administrator’s Office.
The joint project of the agencies targets to increase the corn production in the country through sufficient and balanced fertilization with the help of soil tests brought by the mobile soil test clinics. The availability of the technology transfer that the project will provide is intended to benefit the Farmers’ Cooperatives in major corn producing provinces such as Pangasinan, Isabela, Cagayan, Bukidnon and South Cotabato.
The BSWM as the implementing agency is tasked to provide trainings of technicians, monitoring of the ten purchased off-road motorcycle carrier fitted with rack and luggage containing the Soil Test Kits (STKs) project all throughout the two-yearproject implementation. This is a great opportunity to spearhead a program with NFA which is under the Office of the President that will sustain self-sufficiency in corn production.
“This project is in view of the wider approach to increase our production yields satulong ng STKs natin. These mobile clinics will give more access to our farmers for more sufficient and balanced fertilization,” BSWM Executive Director Dr. Silvino Q. Tejada explained.
On the other hand, the NFA represented by the Deputy Administrator Ludovico J. Jarina will provide the amount needed and cover the equipment for the project as well as screening the applications from the beneficiaries and verify the information cited from the association to provide necessary financial assistance in line with the project.
The government will allot more than 3.5 million for the project implementation intended as grant to ten qualified corn farmers cooperatives and associations, purchase of kits and refills, trainings, monitoring and implementation and contingency fund.(Loraine Cerillo, DA-BSWM)
