Municipal Agriculturist Office (MAGRO) head Engr. Elmer Degorio said their office distributed a total of 20, 000 Fusarium Wilt tolerant banana tissue seedlings to 300 banana farmers across the municipality.
Degorio said the program being implemented by the Evangelista administration seeks to ensure the production via tissue culture of quality banana resistant varieties.
He added that the distribution of these seedlings to farmers aims to rehabilitate and re-plant disease-damaged farms.
This Fusarium Wilt tolerant variety is called the giant Cavendish banana and has greater acceptability in the international market, promising greater returns for farmers.
Apart from this, the Evangelista administration through MAGRO has also distributed 470 (1.5 liters of Liquid Trichoderma) and 2,540 sachets of Liquid Trichoderma.
Degorio said that local government technicians had done an assessment since the onset of infestation and to implement control measures, adding that MAGRO has also recommended alternative crops for farmers who opt to shift to other crops.
The Evangelista administration has also requested farm machinery from national government agencies to help the Tomasino farmers.
Mayor Ernesto Evangelista has filed a legislative request from the Sangguniang Bayan to help the Tomasino small banana growers in terms of price fixing, manipulation, pole vaulting, among others.
This legislation would also provide the needed assistance to the banana growers in this municipality.
But to date, no legislation has been filed by the legislative body.
Photo from Santo Tomas MIO
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