An 8,000-square-meter technology demonstration farm aimed at improving vegetable production and increasing farmers’ income through modern farming methods was recently launched in Barangay Apulid, Paniqui, Tarlac.
The project seeks to showcase climate-resilient and high-yield vegetable farming technologies that can later be replicated in other agricultural communities.
Rodante Marcoleta, who hails from Paniqui, said the initiative aims to help address the long-standing struggles faced by small farmers who continue to earn little despite working in the agriculture sector.
“We are the country’s food producers, yet many farmers still struggle to provide enough food for their own families,” Marcoleta said during the memorandum signing ceremony attended by farmers’ groups, local officials, agriculture stakeholders, and private sector partners.
The project, formally called the Lowland Vegetable Technology Demonstration Project, is part of the Department of Agriculture’s High Value Crops Development Program.
The techno-demo farm will cultivate various lowland vegetables, including bitter gourd, squash, peppers, sitao, eggplant, pechay, okra, kangkong, cucumber, bell pepper, and watermelon.
Marcoleta said the farm is expected to produce around 8,000 kilograms of vegetables during the demonstration period, which will run until August or September next year.
He added that the project targets an estimated return on investment of 113.33 percent, based on projected production costs of P150,000 and expected gross sales of P320,000.
The senator expressed hope that the initiative would serve as a model for sustainable and profitable farming practices that could eventually be adopted in other farming communities nationwide.
Nine private companies partnered with the project, each managing a 1,000-square-meter plot while providing seeds, planting materials, and agricultural inputs.
Participating firms include Bon Affaire Trading Inc., RAMGO International Corporation, Allied Botanical Corporation, Thaiphil Advance Agritech Corporation, MIKA Agritrading, FA Greenseeds Corporation, ATS Infinitrade Solutions OPC, APO Agriventures Corporation, and EPI Phil.
Project organizers said crop performance, yield, pest and disease management, and overall profitability will be closely monitored throughout the program.
The results are expected to be presented during a Harvest Festival, where the performance of each demonstration plot will be evaluated to help guide future agricultural projects under the High Value Crops Development Program.