MANDURRIAO, Iloilo City – “If we look into the picture of all the farmers that are contributing in terms of food sufficiency, we are part of it. We are being prepared through this training because the country needs a good quality of seed and production. We are helping the national vision of the Department of Agriculture. Thank you so much for this opportunity,” said Warlito G. Bagsit, Farmer-Seed Grower from Calaigang, San Rafael, Iloilo, one of the 29 completers of the five-day Training Course on Seed Production and Certification for Inbred Rice Seed Growers on April 4-8, 2022 at Westown Hotel.
The participants have undergone the following topics: Status Implementation of Rice Program in the Region; Procurement Buffer Stocking; RA #11203 – Rice Tariffication Law; Integrated Nutrient Management/Cultural Management Practices; Mechanics, Policies, and Guidelines on Seed Testing and Certification for Rice; Integrated Pest Management; Seed Testing Procedures and Standards; Varietal Selection and Characteristics of the Approved NSIC Varieties; Harvest and Post-Harvest Technology; Seed Health; Role of Seed Grower and Seed Inspector; and Field Inspection and Roguing.
Technical experts from DA-RFO6 and Bureau of Plant Industry-National Seed Quality Control Services (BPI-NSQCS) Region 6 have augmented the success of the activity. Highlights of the activity include the Field and Laboratory Practicum wherein the participants were given the chance to observe the actual scenario in the field. They were required to perform the roguing and field inspection.
Meanwhile, Dr. Eden DLR. Bautista, ATI Region 6’s Center Director, challenged the participants during the closing program to take advantage of the learnings they have acquired in the training, to become the newly accredited seed growers in their respective municipalities, and to plant and produce high-quality seeds to address the gap in seed production in the region and even in the country as a whole.
This activity aims to enable and develop prospective farmers to become accredited seed growers in the province and in partnership with the BPI-NSQCS Region 6 headed by Center Chief III Sixto C. Cabila.
