 |
| File photo of African night crawlers |
By
Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff Reporter
SOLSONA,
Ilocos Norte—At least 299 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in this town are now
reaping what they have sown.
Remigio
Hilario, 37, of Brgy. Maanteng was among those hardly hit by a typhoon three
years ago. Starting from scratch after the devastation would have been hard for
his family but thanks to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s
‘cash for work’ program, he was commissioned for a 10-day work and got paid P3,000.
He used the money to start a vermiculture project, which the Solsona government
wants farmers here to pursue.
Starting
from a kilo of African night crawlers, which he feeds with readily available
waste materials from home and the farm lands, he now maintains at least 30
kilos of vermi worms that produces organic fertilizer. These organic fertilizers
are bought by the local government unit and sells it by bulk to farmer
cooperatives, government agencies and other commercial traders.
Aside
from the organic fertilizer produced, the vermi cast is also used to feed
organic fattening hogs and nurture the growth of ornamental plants sold in the
market and in various trade fairs.
Mang
Remigio maintains at least four fattening hogs and his wife Daylin also earns
at least P 1,000 a month from selling ornamental plants.
Moving
from a typical ‘bahay kubo’ as their abode, Remigio’s house has transformed
into a semi-furnished two-room bungalow house. Thanks to his regular income
from selling organic fertilizer which is now becoming a hit to Ilocos farmers
engaged in organic farming.
The
Hilario family thanked the concerted efforts of the DSWD and the Solsona government
in providing the capital assistance and in helping him gain a sustainable
income from vermiculture.
In
2011, DSWD’s cash for work program was tapped by Solsona for the restoration of
facilities damaged by a typhoon. After a 10-day work, each beneficiary was
given assistance amounting to P3,080.00. But instead of giving them in cash,
then Solsona mayor now vice mayor Joseph de Lara convinced them to buy vermi
worms and purchase cement and steel bars for the construction of vermi beds in
their backyards.
Showing
the way in producing organic fertilizer through a practical and
environment-friendly method of vermiculture, the Solsona government has
assisted all the barangays including the 299 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries
here who are now actively engaged in vermiculture.
For
example, an average vermi compost producer can harvests at least 1,100 kilos of
vermi cast for every 35 days sold at P4.00 per kilo. Among the market outlets
of their products are the Ilocos Norte (PGIN) provincial government, Office of
the Provincial Agriculture (OPAG), other city/municipalities such as Batac
City, Marcos, Pinili, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), Department of
Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) and even private individuals who are into organic farming.
Comments
Post a Comment