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BY JULIO P. YAP JR.
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CONSIDERING its economic potentials, potato has been one of the important high-value vegetable crops in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), particularly in the provinces of Benguet and Mountain Province.
In fact, Cordillera was the top producing region in the country with a harvest of 99,981 metric tons in 2016.
The top potato producer in the CAR is Benguet with at least 88,771 metric tons or 88.8 percent of the total potato production in the region, followed by Mountain Province with 11,090 metric tons or 11.1 percent.
While the province of Ifugao, which is also under CAR, only shared 0.1-percent of the total production in the region.
However, Teresita D. Masangcay, a senior research specialist at the Benguet State University-Northern Philippines Root Crops Research and Training Center, says that there “are problems confronting farmers engaged in potato production.”
On the brighter side, these problems were tackled during the Technology Forum on Potato during the Farms and Industry Encounters through the Science and Technology Agenda (FIESTA) of the Highland Agriculture, Aquatic and Resources Research and Development Consortium, which was held recently at Wangal in La Trinidad, Benguet.
The FIESTA carried the theme “Kinabaknang di Daga, Siya san Biag” (Wealth from the Land, Sustain Life).
During the event, trends were presented showinghigh market demand but low supply for potato.
Masangcay says that this was mainly due to low seed quality and insufficient seed supply.
To solve this aspect, Masangcay proposed the use of non-conventional planting materials, such as the pea-sized tuber and stem cutting, as well as the use of the local potato variety named “Igorota.”
“This is the variety developed in the highlands recommended for better production and income for our farmers. It also addresses the issue of low seed quality because it is high-yielding and moderately resistant to late blight and leaf miner,” Masangcay explained.
It was also learned that bacterial wilt and cyst nematode are also contributing to low production.
“Although there are no available varieties resistant to these diseases yet, proper management can be used to limit the damage such as the use of clean planting materials, removal of infected plants, crop rotation, and other farm practices.”
One such practice is the use of Trichoderma, which is a beneficial microorganism and an effective bio-control agent in managing potato diseases.
As conceptualized by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), FIESTA aims to show the complete sphere of research and development as it treats with equal importance the whole agricultural value chain from production to processing to technology mainstreaming.
Through FIESTA, PCAARRD and its partner agencies gather the various players of agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources, primarily the technology generators, farmers, and micro, small, and medium enterprises to showcase regional AANR technologies, innovations, products, and services; assist in the diffusion of technologies for better farming opportunities; and provide a true encounter of various research and development beneficiaries to maximize the benefits of particular products and commodities. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com)/PN
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