“I am highly encouraging farmers to apply organic inputs,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said during the 6th Regional Organic Agriculture Congress” on September 20, 2019 in La Trinidad, Benguet.
Dar explained that using organic inputs enhances the microbial ecosystem of the soil, thus improving the soil health and ensuring that plants will have the necessary nutrient elements.
He mentioned that the soil needs 16 nutrient elements, 3 are NPK and 13 are microelements.
“The soil is very sick. It is degraded,” Dar stressed.
He shared that the soil’s organic matter content has significantly dropped from about 10-15 percent to 1-2 percent.
“We have to sparingly and judiciously use inorganic inputs,” Dar cautioned the farmers to limit environment pollution.
He added, “Let’s promote organic agriculture to where it must be, but being practical and realistic, the Good Agricultural Practices will also be a major strategy in increasing the productivity and income of farmers.” ### (Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID)
