GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE FOR COMPOSTING PROJECTS

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE FOR COMPOSTING PROJECTS Mr. Ramon Uy, Sr. of Bacolod City told me that the government, through the Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM), an agency under the Department of Agriculture (DA) is already helping farmers by providing them with composting facilities, so that they could make their own organic fertilizers. That may be one small way of helping the farmers, but it is a big step towards developing the market for organic produce and ensuring our food security. The composting facilities consist of one shredder and one composting drum. The package includes training on the operation and use of the equipment. The BSWM provides the package to any LGU and farmers’ cooperative, for as long as they are interested in producing their own organic fertilizer using their own biodegradable waste. They could send a letter of request to the DA, care of the BSWM. Mr. Uy, through his social enterprise RU Foundry, is also engaging directly with the farmers, providing them with interest free loans, organic fertilizers and black rice seeds. He buys back the palay at a guaranteed price of 20 to 22 pesos per kilo. He threshes the palay himself, and brings the moisture content down from 24% to 12%. In his own small way, Uy is providing a package of that includes financing, technology and marketing. These are the inputs that all farmers everywhere need. Let me know if you know of other heroic social entrepreneurs like him. IKE SENERES/03-08-2024