The Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) targets local farmers to venture into the banana business industry.
The additional lakatan plantlets were distributed to farmer-partners on October 11, 2019.
The farmers also attended a banana technical training, held from October 10-11, 2019 at Siayan Training Center, to strengthen and enhance their capability and knowledge in establishing a small banana plantation.
The training concluded with an on-the-field actual demonstration of banana planting.
The resource speaker for the training, former High Value Crops Development Program coordinator George Valiente, shared the beauty of establishing a banana lakatan industry in the province of Zamboanga del Norte and its huge demand in the market.
He said, “with quality management paired with good sanitation, you can produce good quality bananas that could potentially attract buyers.”
Valiente also explained the strategies and techniques on pre-harvest activities like land preparation, layouting, fertilizer application, watering, as well as pest management and control.
He also added some knowledge on post-harvest activity for the proper handling of the fruit to ensure good quality produce for buyers.
Moreover, Siayan Municipal Agricultural Officer Edu Velasco stressed: “Let us take this opportunity to learn more of the proper management of propagating lakatan so that we can produce quality products that are comparable to distinguished banana farms in Mindanao.” ###
Writer: Roger Dave Gramatica, SAAD Zamboanga del Norte Area Coordinator
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