The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 6 has distributed garlic seeds as planting materials to 15 farmers in Antique province who had undergone training on garlic production during the People’s Day at the Provincial Capitol.

Antique Provincial Agriculturist Nicolasito “Nick” Calawag, in an interview Thursday, said the farmers who received the native garlic seed planting materials last November 19 were those who attended the two-day training conducted by DA here last October 24-25.

“The farmer-beneficiaries were from the towns of Patnongon, San Jose de Buenavista, Sibalom, and San Remigio,” he said.

He added that the DA under its High-Value Crops Program provided a total of 1,500 kilos of garlic seeds costing PHP300,000 from Batanes for the 15 farmer-beneficiaries.

“The garlic seeds were given as part of their starter kit,” Calawag said.

He said it would be enough as planting material for a total of four-hectare rain-fed area on the identified municipalities.

Calawag said that during the distribution of the garlic seeds, the farmers also received from DA a total of 15 bags of fertilizers.
“The garlic and fertilizers were given for free to the farmers,” he said.

“With the provision of the planting materials and fertilizers this would then encourage our farmers to engage in garlic propagation,” Calawag said.

Calawag added that a hectare of agricultural land could produce eight to ten tons of garlic.

“The current market price of a kilo of garlic is about 80 pesos to 100 pesos,” he said.

Calawag, who distributed the garlic planting material with Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao and Vice Governor Edgar Denosta, said producing garlic is a good source of livelihood that can be harvested after 90 to 120 days. (PNA)