BUTUAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 13 (DA-RFO 13) and a representative from its Central Office met with DA line agencies and bureaus to discuss the implementation of the information drive for the Abonong Swak program on June 2, 2022 at the DA-RFO 13 office site at the Capitol Drive.

Dr. Rodolfo P. Estigoy, Senior Technical Adviser for Strategic Communications of DA-Central Office, met with Information Officers of DA-RFO 13, Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center 13 (ATI-RTC 13), Bureau of Soils and Water Management Caraga (BSWM-Caraga), and the Philippine Rice Research Institute – Agusan Station (PhilRice-Agusan).

It was learned during the meeting that Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials from the Central Office such as brochures, posters, and audio recordings have arrived but need to be localized for further understanding and appreciation by the local formers. Moreover, there will be demonstration sites for the Abonong Swak to be established in all provinces of the region and training programs for farmers and Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs).

The rolling out of the Abonong Swak campaign is the government’s response to the rising price of fertilizers and other inputs. It supports the Balanced Fertilization Strategy (BFS) which is a combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers thereby lowering production costs while still enjoying higher yield.

By following the organic-inorganic combination, farmers are expected to save P2,000 to P4,000 per hectare.