Info drive sways more farmers to plant soybean in SurSur
By
DA Caraga
TANDAG
CITY, Surigao del Sur, Jun. 8 -- More farmers were convinced to engage in
soybean farming following the information caravan on Soybean Production and
Processing conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Caraga recently.
Among
the topics discussed during the caravan were the production and processing of
soybean, health benefits of soybean, market opportunities, and the department’s
programs and interventions for soybean.
Barobo
Municipal Agriculturist Johnny V. Ramos said he appreciated the activity since
it provided a venue for the farmers to learn more about the crop and its
various potentials. He also assured the participants that the Municipal
Agriculture Office fully supports all undertakings for the development of the soybean
industry in the region.
On
the other hand, Antonio Gabule of Brgy. OsmeΓ±a, Tagbina, Surigao del Sur said
he is thankful for the info caravan because he learned a lot from it. “Before,
we had apprehensions in planting this crop because of some experiences of other
farmers here who tried out planting soybean but were not successful. But now
that we have more knowledge about it, I believe there is big potential in
soybean,” he said.
Meanwhile,
in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur, Municipal Administrator Vincent DueΓ±as said that
they still have about 700 hectares of land area that were not planted during
the dry season. He said they are looking into ways to maximize land use and
soybean is one of the crops that they have turned to.
Municipal
High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) Coordinator Joelito Yparraguirre
said that they received 200-kilo soybean seeds and that they already started
planting.
From
the years 2015 to 2019, Caraga has been the top producer of soybean. Data from
the Philippine Statistics Authority show that in 2019, Caraga had a production
volume of 356.4 metric tons (mt), followed by Cagayan Valley at 120.2 mt, and
Davao Region in 3rd place with 61.6 mt.
Recently,
DA-Caraga Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo announced that
two local soybean varieties have been approved and registered by the National
Seed Industry Council, the Select Manchuria and the Black Tudela.
“The approval of these two varieties is something Caraganons should be proud of and drive us to further strengthen the soybean industry in the region,” he said. (Vanessa P. Sanchez, DA 13 – RAFIS/PIA-Surigao del Sur)