The city government of Cabadbaran in Agusan del Norte and the Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) opened a one-hectare demonstration farm to help boost vegetable production.

In a statement Tuesday, DA-13 Regional Technical Director Rebecca Atega said the farm, which opened Monday, will benefit all farmers’ associations and cooperatives in the city.

“We can now provide these associations an orderly system from production to processing and the marketing of farm products,” Atega said.

She said the demo farm will serve as a show window to test the viability of various vegetable species in different soil conditions before introducing it to interested vegetable growers and farmers.

The demo farm, established in April this year, is in Barangay Panlaisan.

Some 250 farmers and eight seed companies attended the opening of the demonstration farm, DA-13 said.

Among those who joined the activity was Marilyn Baron, the president of Cabadbaran City Vegetable Growers Association, who thanked the government for the support to the vegetable farmers in the area.

“We were amazed by the performance of other varieties of seeds which we think could produce a higher yield,” Baron said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Judy Chin-Amante is also seeing the potential of the area for vegetable mass production amid the expanding business investments in the city.

“With the entry of a big shopping mall in the city, this is a challenge for our local farmers to produce more so we could provide them with the supply of food they need,” she said. (PNA)