SOME 3,288 or 28.5% out of 7,000 bags of hybrid corn seeds which benefited 2,262 farmers have been achieved during the past administration, according to the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).
And 2,948 or 37% of the targeted 7,950 hectares benefiting 3,288 farmers were planted, it said. But the said office did not mention where these seeds were planted.
Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Larry Pamugas, acting as provincial agriculturist, bared these after the flag-raising ceremony at the New Capitol, Tagbilaran City on Monday (October 4, 2022).
Unlike corn, the office attained 4,868 or 75% of the 5,000 target hectares planted with hybrid rice seeds. And it accomplished 33,910 or 97% of the target 35,000 hectares planted with inbred rice. But it did not say where these planted and how many farmers were served.
Other accomplishments include other crops: 51,741 (129%) of the targeted 40,000 repacked assorted vegetable seeds benefiting 3,985 farmers; 14 tons of the 10 tons of organically-grown products, and 16.9 hectares converted to organic farm, 182 farmers; 6.5 hectares of the 5 hectares target planted with 10,000 kgs tubers, 134 farmers.
In fisheries, 53 out of 95 milk fish cages were distributed to 33 people’s organizations and 130 Bangus fry dozers were given to 130 dozers operators, OPA said.
Some 56 Tilapis fish growers were recipient of the 53,800 of the 50,000 target fries to dole out and431.73 of the 1,000 hectares intended for Tilapia production.
The office provided 400 units of handline (fishing) to some 400 fishermen; 50 fish corals to 50 fishers and 66 gill nets to same number of fishermen.
Pamugas said that Bohol farmers are ageing in small-scale farmlands is one of the challenges facing the province.
Other hitches in agriculture are the following: facilities destroyed by typhoon Odette, price hike of raw materials for infra projects, bottleneck on procurement as no takers, delay in procurement of seeds affecting planting schedule, lack of warehouse for proper storage of biological assets and inadequate fuel budget due to gas price hike.
Faced with these, the office has come up with what it called innovations, such as, buy-back scheme for rice, corn, fish and highland vegetables.
Other interventions include the establishment of Province-led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System (PAFES) in the province thru an Executive Order and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and CPAFEP by way of a Resolution approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
The provincial government thru OPA provided two cold storage rooms and two units for ice block machines and two ice crushers in the towns of Ubay and Talibon.
Farm mechanization services, post-harvest, irrigation services (drilling machine, small farm reservoirs) and milk fish hatcheries in Bohol Island State University (BISU) in Calape and Clarin town campus are among the assistance provided by the provincial government. (rvo)
