Corn Project in Caraga Region, Philippines Holds Farmers' Field Day

2007-11-16

FFTC Director Sing-Hwa Hu recently participated in the Corn Farmers' Field Day in Butuan City, Caraga Region, northern Mindanao, Philippines. Joining him in this activity were Resident Representative Antonio Basilio of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), President Edgar Ignacio of the Northern Mindanao State Institute of Science and Technology (NORMISIST), and Director Ricardo Regis of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Caraga Region.

The occasion brought together farmer participants and other stakeholders in the Modern Corn Cultivation Technology Transfer Project launched by FFTC, MECO, DA and NORMISIST in 2006 with the full support and active encouragement of the Council of Agriculture (COA) of Taiwan ROC. The major objective of the project is to transfer Taiwan technology in growing corn to Filipino corn farmers in northern Mindanao, which includes the use of hybrid seeds and appropriate mechanization to ensure greater productivity and labor-saving practices. The Taiwanese government has generously provided Taiwan corn hybrids for testing under northern Mindanao conditions. Four hybrids (two white corn and two yellow corn) were selected from a batch of hybrids screen-tested in the demonstration farm inside the NORMISIST campus. All four hybrids registered high yields and good adaptability to local conditions.

The whole day activity highlighted the end of a successful cropping season wherein corn hybrid seeds developed and produced in Taiwan performed very well under agronomic and climatic conditions existing in northern Mindanao. In fact, some farmer participants reported yields better than those obtained in Taiwan using the same hybrid seed varieties.

The field day, which took place on 30 July 2007, allowed the farmer participants to interact with DA corn technicians and with Taiwanese corn specialists Drs. Fu-Hsiung Lin and Tien-Joung Yiu and to exchange with them insights and lessons gained in growing corn the Taiwanese way and using Taiwan developed corn hybrid seeds. Students taking up agriculture in NORMISIST also attended the gathering and were exposed first hand on the problems and challenges facing corn farmers. The Farmers' Forum and Field Visits to the Corn Demonstration Farm inside the NORMISIST campus and in model farms in Tiniwisan, Butuan City, and Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte highlighted the whole day activity.

Index of Images

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  Figure 1 (from top) Corn harvest display of Taiwan corn hybrid seeds planted in northern Mindanao; Visit to the corn demonstration field in NORMISIST; Farmers' Forum attended by Taiwanese experts, local corn farmer participants, DA technicians, and NORMISIST students.