Touching Scenes! Upland Farmers Stay Hours To Learn New Technology

At the end of the two-day Short Courses on Modern Upland Rice Farming, I saw how hungry our farmers are to learn new farming technology.
In the two venues, Kidapawan City and Alamada both in North Cotabato, farmers stayed for hours listening to the lectures delivered by experts in the field of Upland Rice Farming, from land preparation, use of Upland Hybrid Rice Varieties, sowing and seeding using Zero Tillage technology, weed and pest control, low-cost fertilization protocol using a mix of organic and inorganic fertilizer, Parabolic Solar Drying System and the use of a Mini-Rice Mill powered by a 6.5-HP engine.
The most touching scenes were in Alamada yesterday, a town known as one of the biggest producers of the Dinorado Upland Rice Variety.
A father and son team arrived in the venue at 5:30 a.m. for the activity which started at about 9 a.m.
Iranun farmers from the highlands of Alamada came in a huge group which outnumbered their Christian counterparts.
They all stayed glued to the presentations and stood up only when the workshop ended at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
They then proceeded to witness the demonstration of Green Valley Machineries’ Mini-Rice Mill which could run on 220V DC or 6.5HP gasoline engine.
Ganito ka-uhaw ang ating mga magsasaka sa mga makabago at praktikal na kaalaman sa pagsasaka, especially now that the country is facing an impending rice crisis.
I thank all of those who joined me in this advocacy to educate our farmers and make them understand that through modern farming technology, they could produce more, earn more and assure their family of food.
Thank you to the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation DXND and DXMS for sharing the program through their broadcast, Seedworks Philippines for sponsoring the events, DA-PhilRice Midsayap, AMO Foliar Fertilizer, Better Yield Agri Services, CP Foods Philippines, Green Valley Machineries, Vice Gov. Efren Piñol, Board Member Ma. Krista Piñol-Solis, Mayor Jesus Sacdalan of Alamada and my staff and workers in the Braveheart Farms and Nursery.
You all did a splendid work of giving our farms hope for a better life.
Mabuhay kayo!