TABUK CITY, Kalinga – A total of 48 corn farmers from Barangay Balawag completed today the six-month season-long Farmer-Scientists Training Program (FTSP) in Corn-Based Production System for Sustainable Development Phase I given by the Office for the City Agricultural Services (OFCAS), Office of the Provincial Agriculture Services , Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the Department of Agriculture (DA), UP Los Banos, and other stakeholders.
OCAS Senior Agriculturist Emma Concepcion A. Fermin said during the graduation ceremony in Barangay Balawag that Phase 1 of the program includes value formation, research exposure, and technical empowerment of the selected corn producers.
She further said that after finishing the first step, the farmers will learn on-farm experimentation, technology verification, and adoption for the second phase this cropping season.
According to City Agriculturist Nobleto Sagun, the Phase 1 of the training is essential to see which technology is appropriate to apply in Balawag.
Graduates, according to the official, are encouraged to share their skills and approaches with other corn farmers in order to broaden their farming knowledge.
Grace Singayan, one of the graduates, expressed her gratitude for being among the FSTP’s beneficiaries, adding that the six-month program enhanced her agricultural abilities and allowed her to raise her production.
The FSTP, according to City Mayor Darwin Estrañero, provides an opportunity for specialists and agricultural professionals to assist local farmers in improving their farming practices by determining which production methods are appropriate for their farms. By Darwin S. Serion