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July 22,2009

South Leyte Executives Attend Seminar On Vermi Soil Production


By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte,Philippines-Municipal Mayors and some Vice Mayors here
in this province have participated in a recent vermin soil production seminar (May
2008) at Mindanao State University in Bukidnon under the sponsorship of
Congressman Roger G. Mercado.
The prohibitive cost of chemical fertilizers nowadays, it was learned, has
prompted Representative Mercado, whose priority projects include tourism,
environmental protection/preservation and agriculture, to let each municipal
executives of the 18 municipalities and one city learned about organic fertilizer
production in order to reduce the rice and vegetables farmers’ chemical fertilizer
expenditures by teaching the latter thru echo-seminars.
Diego Credo, one of Mercado’s District Office staff, who was with the group
who traveled to Bukidnon, disclosed that aside from vermin soil production, goat
and cattle raising seminars were also taught to the participants.
He said they were also toured to various projects of the 1,500 hectares
University Campus like the demo farms of rice/corn, fruits and vegetables, cattle
ranch, goat farm and the rubber processing plant.
Credo explained that in vermi soil production a specific kind of worms is use
in the gradual decomposition of all kinds of biodegradable wastes mixed with
animal wastes. These two things necessary in the making of organic fertilizer are
commonly found in many households and also in the surrounding areas respectively
that are being placed in the compost pits.
The worm called African night crawlers abound in Bukidnon,he said, but they
were not able to bring in here because they’ve forgotten to ask for a permit to
transport it..
However, during his participation to another recent similar seminar in Cebu
City, he said, he was able to bring in just 7 African night crawler worms after
the seminar which he currently raise at his residence in brgy. Combado. He
disclosed several weeks after he brought the 7 worms, it’s now multiplied to an
estimated 1,000 worms.
He said he placed them inside a tinplate enclosure box filled with soil so
that it will not escape. Sprinkle it with small amount of water from time to time
just enough to create a moist environment. “Sprinkling the soil with too much
water would kill the worms”, he said.
He said before the worms are placed inside a compost pit water-
drenched(wet)biodegradable wastes like leaves, fruit peelings, vegetables,
leftovers,grass,straws,coco husks,others,and mix it with chicken
manure,carabao/cattle dung or goat excrement must have already shown signs of
decomposition.
“Putting several worms inside a compost pit where biodegradable wastes and
animal wastes are still dried but have not shown signs of decomposition”, he
informed, “would delay the production of organic fertilizers”.
He also clarified that in the production of organic fertilizers, many
compost pits should be built and fill it with the needed materials in great volume
so that a producer can simultaneously turn out hundreds of kilos of organic
fertilizer for personal use and for sale in the market.
Credo said that 40 kilos of vermi soil (organic fertilizer) cost much cheaper
at Leyte State University (formerly VISCA in Baybay, Northern Leyte) 3 months ago,
“which is still much cheaper compared to the chemical fertilizer which cost almost
P2, 000. per sack”.
He claimed that for a one hectare ricefield, first application of vermi soil
(organic fertilizer) should be 15 sacks. Second application is 10 sacks for one
hectare. And the third application 8 sacks, which should be maintained in the
following planting seasons.
He said that based on the information he got from attending the seminar, a
one hectare lot planted to rice would yield 120 sacks, plus 30 sacks after using
organic fertilizer(vermi soil).Nevertheless, he want it to experiment it himself
in a rice field lot of his nephew, he said, to prove the veracity of the
information.
Meanwhile, VSP participant Maasin Mayor Maloney Samaco in his recent speech
at the agri fair show at the Capitol’s mini forest during the 48th Founding Day
Anniversary celebration of Southern Leyte province has urged all the Chief
Executives of the province to apply what they have learned in Bukidnon regarding
organic fertilizer production by teaching the farmers in their respective areas of
jurisdiction. This is to reduce the farmers’ expenses in buying very expensive
chemical fertilizers and to increase the farmers’ income in the coming years.
Credo further informed that all of Maasin’s 70 Barangay Captains shall be
going to Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri’s bailiwick in Bukidnon in the near future
also to attend a series of seminars on vermi soil production, cattle and goat
raising and possibly biofuel crop production.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

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