An organic vegetable farmer from the municipality of Valderrama in Antique province has become an inspiration in their remote village of Tigmamale due to his success in tilling his land and benefiting from a Department of Agriculture (DA) project.
Elmer Roquero, president of the Tigmamale Valderrama Irrigators Association, said in an interview Friday that he and nine other members started to plant high-value vegetables in January as recipients of the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Enhanced High-Value Crop Organic Backyard Vegetable Production Project of the DA.
“We received planting materials and bags of organic fertilizer from the SAAD, which we used,” Roquero said.
Out of his 7,000-square meter lot, half a hectare was planted with eggplants while the rest were equally divided for sweet hot pepper and squash.
“I found the eggplant more promising in terms of its income so I devoted more into planting it,” he said.
Roquero said it only takes two months from planting the eggplant until harvest time.
From the initial 300 standing eggplant crops, it has increased to 1,500.
Weekly, he could harvest 3,000 eggplants, he said, adding that they sell their produce for PHP25 to PHP30 per kg. in their town public market, which is about 5 km. away from their village.
The other members of his association also shared the same experience.
“Our success in farming high-value vegetables has served as an inspiration to other people in our community that instead of spending their time idly or playing card games, they had taken an interest to also engage in vegetable farming to help in their family income,” he said.
Roquero said more association members and village folks have shown interest in planting high-value vegetables.
Dovie Brasileno, SAAD assistant in Antique, said in a separate interview that the Tigmamale Valderrama Irrigators Association is one of two associations identified as a recipient of the project.
“The other recipient is the association in Bugnay village, also in Valderrama town,” Brasileno said.
Both associations received PHP697,000 worth of vegetable seeds, organic fertilizers, and farming tools through the SAAD. (PNA)
