DA, Manila execs want to transform market waste to organic fertilizer

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is meeting officials of Manila City Hall in a bid to win their support for a program to convert vegetable wastes from public markets like Quinta Market and Divisoria and other trading centers into organic fertilizers. This project with LGUs is part of the Organikong Pagsasaka Program of the DA. Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) Director Silvino Tejada said DA has had talks with Manila officials so as to pilot-test the program in Quinta Market and Divisoria using bioreactors from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Representatives from the BSWM and other DA offices have already held such discussions with Manila officials led by Juan de la Cruz of the Department of Public Services at the Manila City Hall . Tejada said that Manila government officials have also suggested Smokey Mountain, Pier 18 under Pristine Environment Corp., Malacanang Barangay (Mal Bar) at the foot of Nagtahan Bridge, and Paco Market as other possible sites for the project. Since vegetable wastes from Metro Manila's trading centers and public markets run to between 20 percent and 30 percent of the total volume delivered or put up for sale, Tejada told Manila executives that it would be a lot better to put these losses into good use by converting them into raw materials for the production of organic fertilizers. "Using vegetable wastes to produce organic fertilizers is part of the Organikong Magsasaka program, which promotes sustainable agriculture through the use of non-chemical inputs in planting crops," he said. He added BSWM is eyeing other LGUs to help set up similar projects. Tejada said "there are local technologies that can be tapped to convert vegetable wastes into organic fertilizers, aside from just letting it decompose naturally to produce compost." Among the biological agents that can be use to convert vegetable wastes into organic fertilizers is trichoderma, which is being propagated by the BSWM in palay farms to decompose straws and stalks into compost. "Enzyme and co-enzyme formulations locally produced can also be used to convert vegetable and fish wastes into high grade liquid of solid organic fertilizer," Tejada stressed. DA officials have pointed out that the use of organic fertilizers and non-chemical dependent technologies to produce farm inputs has led to better crop quality and higher yields. Weaning away farmers from the use of chemical inputs will also help slash farm production costs amid rocketing prices of petroleum-based fertilizers, which have increased by about 300 percent over the last five years. Palay farmers usually use up to 20 bags of chemical fertilizers per cropping. A bag of chemical fertilizer now costs between P1,500 and P1,900 per bag. Under Organikong Pagsasaka, the DA has already introduced the Modified Rapid Composting (MRC) technology and the use of "tamang abono" in 16 regions, mostly among underprivileged but competitive farmer-cooperators, according to Tejada. Harvest festivals in MRC techno-demo farms have already been held in Negros Occidental, Maguindanao, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Bukidnon, Eastern Samar and Iloilo. Farmers participating in the program have reported a 20 percent average increase in yields, jumps in profits between 30 percent and 40 percent and reduction in farm inputs ranging from 30 percent and 50 percent. He noted that other farmers who have applied the MRC technology and used organic fertilizers also reported improvements in soil quality, and better water retention of the land, which has reduced the frequency of irrigation by as much as 50 percent. - GMANews.TV