By PR | 12:10 PM April 24, 2023
In line with the High Value Crops celebration last week (April 17-21, 2023), the Department of Agriculture-Central Visayas (DA7) conducted a two-day Package of Technology (POT) Training on Ubi Production attended by 25 ubi (yam) farmers/growers from the municipality of Pilar, Bohol.
John Dennis Ranario, the focal person of DA7’s High Value Crops Development Program said, ubi/ube or yam is one of the promising high value crop commodities, with high demand, not only in the local market but also internationally.
Bohol, he said is considered the number 1 ubi producing province in the country, however, the production is decreasing.
“With its high demand both local and international, we need to encourage our ubi farmers and enthusiasts to produce more ubi,” Ranario said.
To be able to achieve the needed volume of production, Ranario encouraged the growers to form into an association, as this will also serve a basis in providing intervention support and must be registered in the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA).
Topics discussed in the training include the status of yam industry, cultural management practices, Integrated Pests Management (IPM) and the Fertilizers and Pesticides management, among others.
The participants visited 3 ubi farms in the municipality to observe and gather insects and pests which were part of the discussions.
Ubi grower Danilo Garcia attested that there is money in ubi production and that he is now on his 4th cropping.
“My income in ubi is 2-3 times higher if I will compare to my rice production,” Garcia said.
Another grower Alfredo Putong, promised to continue his ubi production as source of livelihood.
“Because of my income from ubi, I was able to buy a motorcycle and even provided the daily needs of my family,” he said.
