THE Regional Field Office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced it is closely monitoring the situation in the province following the alert level raised by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) for Mayon Volcano. On June 5, DA-RFO 5 Regional Executive Director Rodel P. Tornilla activated the…
LEGAZPI CITY - The Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) in Bicol has started to distribute 85 units of composting facilities for biodegradable wastes to different farmer cooperatives and associations (FCAs) in the region. Lovella Guarin, DA-Bicol information officer, on Tuesday said 52 units were already delivered to FCAs in Camarines Sur, while eight units will be delivered to Camarines Norte; nine in Albay; nine in Sorsogon; three in Catanduanes; and four in Masbate. On the other hand, Water Resources Management Division chief Ernesto B. Brampio said the establishment of a composting facility for biodegradable waste (CFBW) is a PHP3-billion undertaking funded under the Rice, High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) and Organic Agriculture (OA) Program that was designed to augment the DA's fertilizer subsidy by sustaining its provision to local farmers to boost their production. Brampio said each CFBW package can produce 800 ki
(PNA file photo) LEGAZPI CITY - Santa Magdalena town in Sorsogon province is now included in the list of areas in Region 5 affected by the African swine fever (ASF), according to the Department of Agriculture in Bicol (DA-5) on Monday. In an interview, Lovella Guarin, DA-5 information officer, said the local government unit (LGU) of Santa Magdalena submitted to DA-Bicol blood samples of a dead swine, "and based on the ASF testing conducted by our Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RADDL) last Aug. 31, the swine is positive for ASF." She said 39 backyard-raised pigs owned by 14 farmers were ordered depopulated due to the ASF. "DA-Bicol Regional Executive Rodel P. Tornilla already sent a letter to the LGU informing the protocols to be followed. We have also coordinated closely with the provincial local government unit of Sorsogon and the municipal agriculturist of Santa Magdalena for the depopulation which was conducted last Friday," she said. DA-Bicol Reg
(Photo from DA-Bicol's Facebook page) LEGAZPI CITY - The Department of Agriculture in Bicol (DA-5) reported on Friday an increase in palay and corn production in 2021 despite strict border control and difficulties in logistics resulting from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. "Based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, production of 'palay' in Bicol region increased, with 1.3 million metric tons (MMT), which is higher than the 1.2 MMT output in 2020, while corn production is equivalent to 292,748.28 metric tons compared to the 282,000.57 metric tons last 2020," the agency said in a social media post. "The 2021 palay output is the second all-time high in Bicol since 2011," DA Bicol Executive Director Rodel P. Tornilla said, noting that the region attained the highest production in 2018 at 1.35 MMT. Camarines Norte's palay output was registered at 116,292.63 MT; Camarines Sur 683,203 MT; Sorsogon 150,793.40 MT; Albay 224,533 M