Three newly completed facilities funded under the Bayanihan 2 Stimulus Package, totaling to P33.1 million (M), are now open for agricultural stakeholders at the Lipa Agricultural Research and Experiment Station (LARES) Compound in Marawoy, Lipa City, Batangas.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar and OIC-Director Vilma Dimaculangan of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Calabarzon Regional Field Office (RFO) led the inauguration of the RFO’s upgraded Regional Crop Pest Management Center (RCPM) building, Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory, and Research and Development Training Dormitory on July 8, 2021.
“Ganito po ang ginagawa ng Kagawaran to modernize our facilities para sa ganun ay yung pananaliksik na ginagawa dito sa Lipa ay may bunga rin at ito ang mga ibibigay at gagamitin sa iba’t ibang dako ng Region 4A,” Secretary Dar said.
He added that with fully equipped laboratories, the upgraded RCPM, with total project cost of P14.475M, can now strengthen monitoring, surveillance, control, and management activities to prevent grave pest infestation in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna. Rizal, Batangas, and Quezon.
The facilities are intended to provide plant pest diagnosis, plant pest field validation, pest management consultation, biological control agent production and quality assurance, as well as training on village-level production of bio-control agents and crops pest management.
With a conference room and five guest rooms with four to six bed capacity, the Training Dormitory that costs P6 million will be a learning environment for farmers, agricultural extension workers, researchers, academicians, students, and other stakeholders.
The Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory worth P12.63 million, on the other hand, is expected to enhance all year-round production of disease-free, affordable, and generic quality planting materials of tissue-cultured banana, coffee, macapuno, citrus, yam, and other high-value crops through in-vitro propagation.
Unified Batangas Hog Raisers’ Association (UNIBAT) President and RAFC chair Pedrito Kalaw and other DA officials including Undersecretary for Livestock William Medrano, Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel De Mesa, Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Noel Reyes, and Bureau of Animal Industry Director Reildrin Morales also joined the inauguration. ### (Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID)
