BATANGAS Province – In the face of the pandemic, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) in Calabarzon continues to provide farmers with proper rice field recommendations to achieve higher growth yield for the upcoming cropping season.

The Center through Mr. Hans Christopher Flores from the Information Services Section led a series of Rice Crop Manager (RCM) briefings last October 15-16, 2020 in four municipalities of Batangas namely Calatagan, Balayan, Lian, and Nasugbu.

Farmers were provided with lectures on crop management using the RCM field recommendations as well as open forum discussions on their farming operations, issues and concerns. The activity generated 40 field recommendations.

Managed and developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), RCM is an application that could be accessed via smart phone or a computer with internet connection. It allows extension officers to give farmers a specific recommendation on nutrient, pest, weed, or water management, depending on the farmer’s specific variety used, his yield from the previous season, and the site-specific conditions of the field.

The second leg of briefings in Batangas Province will be conducted on October 29-30, 2020 at the Municipalities of Ibaan, Rosario, Laurel and Lemery.

With reports from Hans Christopher Flores