In support of the launching of the Agri-Puhunan and Pantawid Program, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM) has distributed 136 sets of Soil Test Kits (STKs) to farmers at Our Lady of Sacred Heart College in Guimba, Nueva Ecija last September 13, 2024. This momentous event was graced by the Honorable President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. along with DA Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. and other government officials. 

The Agri-Puhunan and Pantawid Program aims to provide financial assistance to farmers through the distribution of Interventions Monitoring Card (IMC) which will help them purchase their farming needs such as seeds, fertilizers and tools. Likewise, the BSWM has provided 136 STKs to further aid the farmers in lessening the cost of their agricultural inputs and boosting their profit.

During the booth visit, President Marcos Jr. has expressed his delight on the initiative of the BSWM on developing the FertRight mobile application which has now integrated the Cropping Pattern and Calendar (CPC) Tool for rice cropping, in addition to the automatic generation of fertilizer recommendations based on the results of soil analysis. With the leadership of Director Gina Parde-Nilo, Ph.D., the BSWM commits to continuously deliver services that will support the efforts of the Department of Agriculture and the administration in uplifting the lives of our fellow farmers. 

The event was attended by the BSWM-Laboratory Services Division (LSD) led by Agnes C. Morada, Supervising Agriculturist along with her team, Keyfej C. Ramos, Chemist II and Mary Joy N. Gumangan, Science Research Specialist I, under the supervision of Maribel R. Jalalon, Chief of LSD and the Regional Soils Laboratory (RSL) III represented by Ledesminda A. Tayag, Senior Agriculturist, John Lee T. Gonzales, Science Research Specialist I, and Allyson D. Talens, Science Research Analyst. 

(Keyfej C. Ramos, Laboratory Services Division – Rapid Soil Test Section)