OPOL,Misamis Oriental-- The demo area of the Farmer Field School (FFS) on Integrated Rice-Duck Farming System (IRFDS) gave an actual yield of 4.5 Tons. This yield has encouraged the graduates to go into IRFDS in their own farms since the cost is much lesser since they did not apply any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The income opportunities are also promising since the rice the produce can command a higher price since it is organically produced. The income from ducks, either by selling eggs or Ready-to-Lay Ducks is also an enticement.
This is the result of the 4-month Training on the Farmer Field School (FFS) on Integrated Rice-Duck Farming System (IRFDS) which started on July 6, 2017 and ended with the Graduation Ceremony on November 7, 2017 at 9:00 o’clock in the morning at Taboc, Opol, Misamis Oriental. A total of 28 participants were awarded Certificates of Completion.
The training is in partnership with the Municipal Agriculture Office of Opol, Provincial Agriculture Office of Misamis Oriental and Rice Duck Movement Inc. (RDMI).
The ceremony was graced by Hon. Maximi B. Seno, Municipal Mayor of Opol; Mr. Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan, Executive Director of RDMI; Dr. Benjamin S. Resma, the Provincial Veterinarian; Hon. Palmero Ebonia, Barangay Captain of Taboc Opol and, Ms. Teodosia D. Jaraba, Training Specialist III from the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center – X. The visitors gave different messages to the participants in order to inspire them more and boost their spirits in order to apply what they have learned from their training.
Rice-Duck farming is relatively new and still unpopular. Those who are practicing the technology, however, have attested that the income opportunities are better. Rice-Duck Farming System is an environmentally-friendly technology and can also address nutrition concerns because the farmer can either have duck meat or duck eggs. Because of its great potential, the Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental (PGMO), has been staunchly promoting and supporting the IRFDS Program.
The training was conducted by Jeric Cabatac of ATI as Project Officer with the following facilitators: Rose Susan Laquibla, Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan, Venus Cena, and Marycor Ilagan (with reports from Jeric Cabatac).