TACLOBAN
CITY, July 26 (PNA) –- The plan of the present administration to conduct
nationwide soil analysis will address the basic requirement of the farming
sector, an official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office here
said.
“We go will
back to basic – soil and water resources. This is the basis for any development
effort,” said DA regional executive director Wilson Cerbito.
Cerbito said
that the DA regional office through the Bureau of Soil and Water Management
(BSWM) is on the process of identifying which of the region’s 723,000 hectares
of farm lands will be covered in the study.
“We did the
initial test in the past years, but for 2016, this is more comprehensive since
it included analysis on crop sustainability and identification of appropriate
fertilizer applicable in an area,” Cerbito said.
Citing
initial test results, the BSWM concluded that many farms in Eastern Visayas
were found to have degraded soil quality, pointing to applications of inorganic
fertilizer as the main reason.
In his first
State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned soil analysis
as one of his thrusts for the farming sector. Others are infrastructure support
and strict enforcement of fishery laws.
“We shall
also conduct a nationwide soil analysis to determine areas most suitable for
rice farming to optimize production with the use of effective soil
rehabilitation and fertilization,” the President said.
A nationwide
soil testing and sampling is necessary to determine which regions of the
country could grow certain crops best based on soil components and fertility.
“With the
budget support and President’s pronouncement, we are optimistic that this will
be pushed through next year,” Cerbito added.
Upon
assuming the post, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol noted that DA has been
using information based on soil samplings done in the late 1970s.
LAP/SQM
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