Leyte Governor Dominico Petilla is confident that the province’s gradual shift to corn as a cash crop will prove beneficial to farmers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
MORE than seven hundred farmers in Leyte have been given a new lease on life amid the Covid-19 pandemic by planting alternative crops such as corn.
In a radio interview, Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said 789 farmers from 17 municipalities from the province are now practicing modern corn farming.
“The corn farmers have improved their yield per hectare and eventually increased their farm incomes," the governor said.
Petilla said that the farmers have finished the corn production course aired over the local radio in partnership program of his office with the Agricultural Training Institute/Regional Training Center 8, based in Visayas State University, Baybay, Leyte during early part of 2020.
The governor explained that the main objective of the program was to upgrade the knowledge and practices of the farmers on modern corn production for them to improve their harvests and eventually increase their incomes.
He claimed that the farmers are added to the existing thousands of corn growers of the province who received training in previous years and are practicing modern corn production.
Records at the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show that the province of Leyte led in corn production in Eastern Visayas for several years now.
Latest PSA records show that Leyte produced the highest volume of corn at 7,101 metric ton comprising about two-thirds or 67.4 percent of the total regional corn production.
Petilla said that with the farmers in his province practicing scientific corn farming, he is optimistic that Leyte will maintain the lead in corn production in Eastern Visayas. (RC)
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