Onion Revolution! Two Onion Demo Farms Up In Central Mindanao

On Feb. 7 and 8, two Onion Demonstration Farms will be established in two areas in Central Mindanao to show and teach farmers the modern technology in planting the crop which gave the Philippines an ignominious label of “The Country With The Most Expensive Onion.”
The 10-hectare Onion Demonstration Farms will be located in Barangay San Jose, General Santos City and Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat, areas where farmers had previously planted Onion in small plots.
During a meeting in Koronadal City on Jan. 13 with I initiated and supported by the Department of Agriculture Region 12 and Agriculture Training Institute (ATI), government agencies, private seed and farm inputs companies and the private group which I represented, formed the Mindanao Onion Initiative Task Group.
Other agencies which participated in the Organization Meeting were the Bureau of Plant Industry, Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority and the Agricultural Credit Policy Council.
The MOITG will be headed by ATI Region 12 Director Abdul Dayaan and supported by DA Region 12 Director Dr. Sailila Abdula who designated the chief to the High Value Crops Program, Erwin Arguelles, as second in command.
As agreed during the MOITG organizational meeting, ATI will fund the season-long training while DA HVCP will provide free seeds and farm inputs to farmers.
Leading Onion Seeds Company, East-West Seeds, and other companies involved in the distribution of farm inputs have committed to provide technical assistance while the private group which I represented will assure farmers of a market complete with cold storage facilities.
Farmers who will participate in the Season-Long Technology Demonstration will be certificates of training and will be organized into a cooperative to be able to avail of funding support for production.
I was very happy with the outcome of the MOITG organizational meeting because once again it was proven that if government and the private sector join hands, agricultural projects could be easily implemented.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
(Photos of the MOITG Organizational Meeting by Kimberly Joy D. Sarino.)