PATIN-AY, Agusan del Sur, Philippines – The provincial government of Agusan del Sur intensifies its support to thousands of farmers in the province by establishing several structures that will increase the farmer’s production, including the distribution of 8, 469 packs of trichoderma.

Trichoderma is a compost-activator fungi used to decompose rice straws.

The agriculture office of the provincial government also launched several programs on organic farming, integrated pest management and small scale irrigation system, in an objective to increase the production of the farmers.

The Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) also established a Provincial Trichoderma Laboratory worth Php 150,000, in an effort to produce 10,000 packs of trichoderma before December, this year. The funding assistance to farmers’ production facilities will be slashed from the 20 percent provincial development fund.

Trichoderma is a big help to farmers in decomposing rice straws.

At present, PAO have already produced 16,950 packs of trichoderma.

Initially, at least 423 farmers cultivating an area of 419 hectares were beneficiary of the trichoderma, in putting the production into action.

The provincial government also established a vermin-culture, an agriculture technology of raising worms which can help in producing organic fertilizer. The funds were also taken from the 20 percent development fund amounting to Php 220,500, and another Php 65,000 from the general fund.

To date, 27 community-based composting facilities are already established all over the province. These facilities had already disposed 981 bags of vermi-compost.

PAO has also introduced the integrated pest management (IPM) program to 18 sites spread all over the province.

First batch of beneficiaries were 529 farmers from the municipalities of San Francisco, Prosperidad, Bunawan, Rosario and Esperanza. For the second batch, PAO is targeting 21 sites from the municipalities of Trento, Bunawan, Bayugan City, Loreto and Sibagat.

To further reinforce the supply of water to rice fields, PAO have distributed ten open source pump or shallow tube well, amounting to Php 1 million. Another Php 1 million is allocated for the multipurpose drying pavement to be implemented this year.

“We are renewing the lives of our farmers and we intend to help them more in our objective to increase their farm production,” said Agusan del Sur Gov. Adolph Edward “Eddiebong” G. Plaza.