NORTHERN SAMAR | July 5, 2022 – On July 4, 2022, Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) Mr. Gary De La Cruz, Provincial Officer of Eastern Samar, and John Mar Nosura, Provincial Officer of Northern Samar, were invited as resource speakers for the Rice Specialist Training Course anchored by Phil Rice Bicol held at the Farmers Training Center, UEP Compound, Catarman, Nothern Samar.

Thirty (30) people attended the training, including farm school owners, agricultural technologists, and DA-RFO8 personnel.

Provincial Officer (PO) De La Cruz discussed the proper use and handling of pesticides and sprayer calibration. His main points are how pesticide products are labeled and classified based on toxicity and risk. In addition, he went through the dos and don’ts of pesticide usage and the precautions to take in the event of an emergency. Another topic that was discussed was spray calibration. PO De La Cruz explained how to calibrate a sprayer properly to avoid chemical underdosing or overdosing.

On the other hand, PO Nosura discussed the concept of the Balanced Fertilization Strategy (BFS). BFS is a current program of the Department of Agriculture, which involves the application of both inorganic and organic fertilizer depending on the nutrients needed by the soil. It is also one of the long-term solutions to address the rising prices of fertilizer globally.

RFU VIII continues to partner with other attached agencies of the Department of Agriculture to continuously educate the farmers on the proper use of fertilizer and pesticides. ###