Texicon Agri Ventures Corp., a leading supplier of fertilizers and pesticides here in the Philippines, organized the “Texicon Regional Agricultural Forum” held in Aureo Hotel & Resort in San Fernando, La Union on October 14. An exclusive event in partnership with the Department of Agriculture Regions 1-3 and it is the first of many forums that they will hold for the agriculture sector here in the Philippines. It aims to bridge the gap between government programs such as funding of farm inputs, to research into new technologies that affect the livelihood of the everyday farmer.
At the forum, several new technologies were presented and the use of lambda-cyhalothrin as an insecticide in order to control the infestation of Fall Armyworm in corn is highlighted.
This new technology was born out of the research of Dr. Jonar Yago, who was then Asst. Director for Operations and Technical and Production Services of the Bureau of Plant Industry, he said when there was an infestation of Fall Armyworm back in 2019. Among the 13 products that were given conditional registration for fall armyworm by the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), it was found that lambda-cyhalothrin 2.5 EC with the brand name of Ariba was the most effective among the products they tested, with a mortality rate of 100% within 3hrs in in vitro trials. “Other brands were able to achieve the same mortality but this was after at least 6hrs of exposure to the pesticide,” Dr. Yago.
Another featured technology in the forum is the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or more commonly known as drones for agricultural spraying of fertilizers and pesticides. The presenters were from Harbest Agribusiness Corporation, who also participated in the field trials for the full registration of Ariba for Fall Armyworm. They showed the advantages in using drone spraying for agricultural crops including the challenges of spray height, inclined fields, and costs.
Representatives from the regional offices were also present in the forum to share with the participants the plans programs of each region in terms of the major agricultural products that they cater. According to Genesis Martin of DA Region 3, rice is still one of the biggest sectors that the government is trying to focus on, but the fisheries and livestock sector were also being helped by the government in order to stabilize the cost and supply of these food products. Corn and other high value crops are also being given attention by the regional offices, but these are smaller in shares as compared to rice.
There was a healthy discussion afterwards between the speakers and the attendees on how to approach the use of chemical products in the industry. While the industry in itself needs more inputs to be more sustainable in the long term, companies such as Texicon have been providing the best options that the industry needs in order to achieve a bountiful harvest for the everyday farmer. – Ning V. Cordero with PR
