Farmers can save using organic fertilizer

With the organic fertilizer program, a farmer can generate a savings of about P3,500 per hectare from the costs of inputs. This not only addresses the Department of Agriculture’s mandate to increase farmers’ incomes but will contribute to the food security agenda of the country explains Dr. Rogelio N. Concepcion, director of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) held at Barangay Aupagan, Butuan City, during the Farmers’ Field Day recently.

With 300 farmers in attandance, plus the staff of DA-RFU-13; media and LGU officials, the Farmers’ Field Day was an outstanding success in the rice farming history of Butuan City. The fertilizer organic program produced a rice yield of 12.3 mt/ha., the highest in the country. BSWM director Rogelio Concepcion was impressed with the yield performance of the 15-hectares compact demo farm.

Aupagan in 1995, garnered the highest inbred rice yield throughout the entire country and even surpassed the national average when farmer Raquelson Estorque adopted the balanced fertilization strategy (BFS) in his rice field. For that, he became one of the Gawad Saka awardees for rice production during that time.

Launched Dec. 19, 2004 in Barangay Aupagan, the program is a strategy in reducing fertilizer to a yield of about five to seven/ha of rice. The technology enhances the mobilization of native soil nutrients from organic and inorganic sources provided in a balanced system.

The 19 farmer-members of the compact farm were given for free by the BSWM the following: (a) one bag ammonium sulfat (21-0-0); (b) two bags ammonium phosphate; (c) five bags of commercial organic fertilizer; (d) 20 kilos meztizo hybrid rice seeds per hectare.

The program also utilizes the use of leaf color chart; minus one element technique and organic farming technology of PhilRice.

"There is really a significant increase in rice yield with the organic fertilizer program aside from reducing fertilizer costs," says Willie Cabahug, president of Aupagan Farmers Association who harvests higher yield."