By Jesselle Solivas, MediaCore, PCARRD

Naic, Cavite—This Southern Tagalog province's flourishing agriculture sector received added boost with the proposed supply and application of appropriate technologies developed by the country's science and technology sector during the barangay development summit held here recently. 

Dr. Patricio S. Faylon, executive director of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development put forward the mature agricultural technologies that could help advance and sustain Cavite's vibrant agricultural sector.

The proposed technologies include coffee rejuvenation, protected crop culture for high value vegetables and herbs, improved management system for “saba” banana, planting of coconut and “sinta” papaya hybrids, use of flower induction technology for Queen pineapple, and production of foliage and exportable live and cut ornamentals.

Production of triple-cross pig, a three-way cross of “large white, landrace and duroc”, and selected Philippine native chicken was also found suitable for livestock and poultry production in Cavite.

Crossbreed mother pigs (landrace x large white) are available in commercial breeding farms like Holiday Farms in San Pedro, Laguna, while native chickens are available at the Bureau of Animal Industry station in Tiaong, Quezon.

Faylon stressed that transfer and adoption of these technologies could be effectively facilitated through complementary arrangement between the local government and PCARRD's Techno Gabay program, one of PCARRD's banner activities that strengthens the link among the technology generators, technology servers, and technology adoptors.

More than 106,080 hectares or 74 percent of Cavite's total land area is still devoted to agriculture.  Such huge expanse of land is highly favorable to growing coffee, coconut, pineapple, and papaya, rice, corn, and a thriving list of vegetable, fruit, and industrial crops.  Livestock production is similarly an animated sector with a number of commercial cattle, hog, and layer farms established in the province.

The summit was an initiative of Cavite's provincial government led by Gov. Ayong S. Maliksi to unite the barangays on the province's development vision.  The provincial government aims to outline a medium-term development plan that would cover impact projects of the participating barangays. 

The implementation of such technology-based agriculture program is expected to increase farmers' income and enhance the food basket among the industrial workers of Cavite, Laguna, and the Metro Manila population.