Kalinga farmers undergo season-long palaycheck system

Tabuk City, Kalinga (10 July) — Twenty seven agricultural extension workers (AEW) here are currently undergoing a Season-Long Training of Trainers PalayCheck System in the province.

Trainer Cristino Balancio from the Agricultural Training Institute based in La Trinidad, Benguet said that the participants will be engaged in the seed-to-seed training for at least four months or one cropping season.

This aims to update AEWs the principles and practices of the PalayCheck System enhancing their knowledge, skills, and performance in rice production and technology promotion.

Since the training requires a hands-on schooling in the farm, the participants will be working in demo farms to understand and experience first hand the system, Balancio said.

According to City Agriculturist Gilbert Cawis, the System had been very effective in Tabuk City after its full implementation this year as proven by the productivity of several farmers who have been employing the technique.

Just this year, rice farmer Joseph Dacio of Tuga, Tabuk City, was able to harvest 263 crop cut or an actual yield of 205 sacks per hectare during the recent dry season after strictly observing eight key checks of said farming system.

Using the same technology and SL8 hybrid rice seeds, Joyce Capuyan of Balong, Tabuk City was able to harvest an actual yield of 232 sacks per hectare last summer cropping, Cawis informed.

Piloted in Tabuk City in 2007, the PalayCheck System is a dynamic rice integrated management system that employs best key techniques and management practices as key checks and facilitates learning through farmers’ group to sustain improvement in productivity, profitability and environmental safety.

Said system which was adopted from the farm management system of Australia was designed to develop a core of rice specialists who will lead in implementing the training and extension component of the GMA-Rice Program.

The training facilitated by Balancio, Edwin Dicksen, Remy Baliao and Denecia Luces was conducted through the ATI-BSU CAR in partnership with the Office of Agricultural Services. (ggdumallig/PIA-Kalinga)