Ilocos Sur gov't to invest P100M in soil fertility project

The provincial government of Ilocos Sur will sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with an Indian institute to provide P100 million for the development of a soil fertility program in the province.

The Bhoochetana soil rejuvenation program, developed by the Andhra Pradesh-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi- Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), includes comprehensively mapping soil based on type and micronutrient content crucial to increasing crop yield and quality. Areas deficient in nutrients will receive fertilizer to rejuvenate the soil.

The project will cover 42,000 hectares of agricultural lands in semi-arid Ilocos Sur.

According to ICRISAT director general William Dar in an interview with reporters in Andhra Pradesh, ICRISAT and the Ilocos Sur government will sign the MOA on Oct. 1. Under the agreement, Ilocos Sur will cover the expenses while ICRISAT will provide technical assistance.

Dar added that some Ilocos Sur agricultural scientists have already undergone training at ICRISAT.

The National Rice Program and the High-Value Crops Development Program of the Philippines' Department of Agriculture will also contribute funds to the project. Its ground-breaking is expected to be held in December.

Quezon, Samar and Zamboanga have also expressed interest in the Bhoochetana program. According to Dar, the program resulted in a 20-percent rise in yield rates in Karnataka in 2009, when ICRISAT first implemented it.

ICRISAT is discussing other projects with the Ilocos Sur government, including developing a rain-fed farming system in some municipalities, building a soils laboratory in the province at a cost of P10 million, and developing community watershed systems.

“The vision is for Ilocos Sur to be turned into a science province,” said Dar.

The Philippines is a donor country to ICRISAT, contributing $50,000 to the institute every year through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). — BM, GMA News