The Council’s Techno Gabay Program (TGP) made its presence felt again in Palawan.
In El Nido, about 420 kilometers southwest of Manila and 238 kilometers northeast of Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital, a Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) center was launched recently.
El Nido FITS is the 9th center established in the island province, the 23rd in the Southern Tagalog Region, and the 647th nationwide.
El Nido officials led by Mayor Edna Lim attended the launch. Also present were Dr. Divinia Chavez, chair of the Regional Research and Development Consortium Council of the Southern Tagalog Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium; Dr. Elsa Manarpaac, Palawan Techno Gabay Team Leader; and these writers.
Meanwhile, in Sagpangan, Aborlan, a Science and Technology based Farm (STBF) field day-cum-techno forum on “saba” banana production was conducted. Magsasaka Siyentista (MS) Mauricio L. Zabanal presented the fruits of his labor in STBF to some 150 people, composed of mostly farmers.
The activity demonstrated the effectiveness of S&T (science and technology) interventions in improving the farming system technology in saba production and encouraged prospective adopters to use the technology.
MS Zabanal stressed that banana, being the prime fruit commodity in the country, should be developed and enhanced through S&T interventions. He shared his experiences on the adoption of new technologies and improved management practices on banana production such as control of population density and the practice of ring weeding and removal of male bud; and application of organic fertilizer. Moreover, he reported that an increase of 30% in his income was earned from his STBF farm.
The MS also treated the participants to a tour of his farm. The event concluded with the presentation of the bio-organic pesticides and organic fertilizer by Mr. Reuben Santiago, Information Science Specialist of FITS-Aborlan.