The Department of Agriculture 6 is encouraging farmers in Western Visayas to use organic fertilizer instead of chemical-based fertilizer to reduce cost of production, the DA said in a press release.

OIC-Regional Executive Director Larry Nacionales said that farmers must sustain activities in agriculture through, for one, modified rapid composting wherein resources from within the farm are utilized.

He cited the use of trichoderma harzianum which only takes 21 to 30 days for the compost to become "ripe" unlike organic fertilizer which is produced after four to five months, the press release said.

Nacionales said the support of the local government units and the private sector is important in all DA programs, including modified rapid composting.

Ildefonso Toledo, OIC-provincial agriculturist of Iloilo, said the modified rapid composting is an eye-opener for farmers and technicians to maximize the use of local resources, the press release said.

Modified rapid composting involves the inoculation of the different plant substrates used for composting with a decomposer called trichoderma harzianum or usually called compost fungus activator. The trichoderma harzianum is available at the DA Soils Laboratory.

Such form of composting improves the physical condition of soil by promoting soil aggregation and improves water infiltration, plant root penetration and soil aeration, the press release added.*

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