Twenty-Five (25) rice farmers from the clustered farmer associations and cooperatives of Apayao successfully finished the “Training on Pest and Disease Management in Rice Production” . The activity aimed to equip farmers with knowledge and skills to manage and control pests and diseases in their rice farms.
Mr. Romulo Padirayon, OPAG-Apayao Staff, in his opening message said that farming is a business, and if you make farming a business, then there is surely a profit derived from its operations. He encouraged the participants to listen, learn, and broaden their existing knowledge on rice production.
Resource Persons from PhilRice Isabela shared their insights and expertise on integrated pest management, major insect pests and diseases and their management, and the Agro-Ecosystem Analysis (AESA).
Mr. Arnel Santiago, owner of the AR Santiago Farm Incorporated, shared his best practices regarding rice-fish farming. The participants also visited the Trichoderma, Metarhizium, Earwig, Mushroom, and Beauveria biocontrol laboratories at the Department of Agriculture Regional Crop Protection Center Region 2. The laboratory experts shared the advantages and uses of each biocontrol agent in farms.
During the closing program, Engr. Jerry Batcagan of PhilRice Isabela congratulated everyone for completing training course. He hoped that the learnings from this training will be applied in their farming practices and multiply the knowledge through sharing it with other farmers.
The training was proposed by the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPAG) of Apayao through the Province-led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Systems (PAFES) funded under the rice program cluster development fund. This was held on April 22-24, 2025 at PhilRice Satellite Station, Malasin, San Mateo, Isabela. //with reports from Mr. Jomar Guerzon, PAFES Technical Support Staff.
