Not only Yamang Bukid Farm is known to accommodate people with its vast cheery sunflowers, ornamental plants, artworks and affordable restaurants. YB Farm in Barangay Bacungan, Puerto Princesa City is now building a laboratory that is capable of making Trichoderma, a 3-in-1 solution that will improve agriculture and environmental quality.
Precious Grace Lopez, agriculturist of Yamang Bukid Farm, said during an exclusive interview by Palawan Daily News that the construction of the laboratory is ongoing and once it’s finished they will be producing Trichoderma, which is a fungicide, insecticide, and turns the soil’s acidity to salinity.
“Trichoderma is an organic solution, klase po sya na fungus na inoculate sa loob ng laboratory, pagkatapos kelangan po syang padamihin kasi dumadami po sya sa airconditioning unit. Klase po siya ng isang fungus na tinuturn nya po into organic yung mga chemical na inorganic within a month po,” said Lopez.
The media that are being used to culture Trichoderma are oatmeal and gelatin that serve as their food in order to increase their number, and would take approximately a month of production without using any harmful chemical.
“21 days lang po ang production. Pero 30 days po yung pag i-harvest na sya. 10 bottles are equivalent to 1.5 liters na pwedeng i-harvest. Equivalent to 1 hectare that could cater the farm,” Lopez added.
Trichoderma would be a big help to the farmers, especially in the thriving agricultural needs in the community.
“Nag e-nhance po ng soil, acidic solution turning into salinity ang Trichoderma. Kinakain din po niya ang bad odor. At pag pinapainom sa mga hayop hindi po mabaho ang poop nila. Fungicide at insecticide din sya,” Lopez further explained.
Tricohderma will be used in the Yamang Bukid Farm for the time being and will be distributed to the community in Barangay Bacungan for free.
“No plan to have it commercialized, so far, po. And plan di po namin na mag-supply ng Trichoderma sa mga farmer din po na sa buong community ng Bacungan for free,” said Lopez.
Since the production of Trichoderma is highly technical and involves a lot of financial requirements, it is only being available to universities such as University of the Philippines Los Baños and in the international market, which is being sold for a hefty price.
Lopez said that there are a lot of varieties of Trichoderma, but the one that is being produced by Yamang Bukid is a better one and has come from the Department of Agriculture in Barangay Irawan, Puerto Princesa City.
According to the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Trichoderma are fungi that grow in and around plant roots and associate with all plant types. They can help plants overcome environmental stresses to reach their yield potential, minimize disease damage and economically beneficial.
Lopez is currently employed in Yamang Bukid Farm and is overseeing the construction and the production of Trichoderma.
For her, she did not really dreamt of becoming an agriculturist, but in her journey, she later on loves her work and embrace it wholeheartedly.
“Hindi ko naman po talaga ginusto na maging agriculture. Sa journey ko po, after po ako na nag graduate, di ko po pinagsisihan na nag agriculture ako, na madudumihan iyong mga kamay ko pero malaki po iyung maitutulong ko hindi lang po sa akin kundi sa kapwa farmers ko, kasi sila po talaga ang backbone ng community. Kung wala pong mga farmers, hindi po tayo mabubuhay, hindi po tayo makakain, wala pong masusupply na pagkain sa community,” Lopez quipped.
Lopez is encouraging those who are pursuing the agriculture degree to love and continue dreaming coupled with trust and faith in God.
“Ang encouragement ko po sa kanila is mangarap lang sila at lagi silang mananampalataya sa Panginoon na iyong mga plano nila hindi lang para sa kanila kundi sa pamilya nila at marami pang mga taong nagangangailan ng tulong nila. Parang kanino ka gumigising diba? Leave your life with others, ika nga,” Lopez said.
She went on to say that Yamang Bukid has a positive impact to her life and career.
“Sobra pong naging impact ang pagtrabaho ko sa Yamang Bukid kasi sa previous work hindi po talaga nakikita ang potential ko. Nagtatrabho ka lang sa sarili mo. Pero dito po masaya kasi marami po ang natutulungan.”
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