Pangasinan boosts vegetable production

 Aggie Trends

Janine Alexis Miguel

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) will provide P23.8 million to fund projects that aim to boost local vegetable production through agricultural biotechnology in Pangasinan province.
    In a joint statement released on Sunday, DAR and the Pangasinan State University (PSU) said that they have partnered for the establishment of tissue culture laboratories to improve local production through modern and sustainable technology.
    "The tissue culture project is a technological breakthrough in the propagation of plants. This would bring rapid production of high-quality and uniform planting materials that could be multiplied on a year-round basis under disease-free conditions anywhere, regardless of the season and weather," said DAR Ilocos regional director Maria Ana Francisco.
    The DAR, PSU, and the Infanta Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries and Farmers Association Inc., together with the Northern Bayambang Multi-Purpose Cooperative, have recently signed a memorandum of agreement to effect the construction of the facilities.
    "This initiative is one of the goals of our Secretary Conrado Estrella 3rd to introduce modern farm technologies and provide modern farm equipment to the ARBs," Francisco said.
    The two cooperatives will receive P11.9 million each for the establishment of said laboratories.
    Through the agreement, the PSU is tasked to supervise the establishment of the tissue culture laboratory for the two cooperatives, and DAR will provide the P28.3 million grant taken from the Agrarian Reform Fund for the implementation of the Sustainable and Resilient Agrarian Reform Communities (SuRe ARCs) program.
    Francisco said that out of the P11.9 million fund, P1.9 million will be used by each cooperative to purchase farm machines and equipment needed for the laboratory.
    "The main advantage of tissue culture is that it helps overcome the limitations of traditional propagation methods, such as slow growth rate, seasonality, and low success rates. Also, tissue culture enables the production of many plants in a relatively short period of time," Francisco said.
    The SuRe ARCs program provides beneficiaries access to quality seedlings and ensures the production of improved crop varieties and better-quality plant materials. It will also teach farmers how to manage tissue culture propagation and enterprise-based crop nursery.
    Francisco added that tissue culture would mean higher annual yield for the organizations and increased farm productivity and income for farmer-beneficiaries.