Department of Agriculture’s program on sorghum pilot farm shows excellent performance. According to the facebook post of DA Secretary, Manny Piñol, “at one month and one week, the Sorghums were growing vigorously and in about a week, the panicles are expected to show followed by the flowering stage. ”
Sorghum Pilot Farm
DA has introduced Sorghum in the different regions of the country as it develops new sources of feed grains for the growing livestock and poultry industry of the country. Moreover, Sorghum has a higher protein content than corn and could grow well in marginal areas requiring less water and rainfall.
More significantly, with one harvest, a farmer could harvest his Sorghum field three times because of ratooning, making it cheaper to produce. This addresses corn’s low production and has expensive cost.
“With low-cost feeds, local hog and poultry raisers are expected to be competitive in accessing the market,” Secretary Manny Piñol highlighted.
For more information about the program, read here DA pushes sorghum farming on IP lands
Initial Projections
Accordingly, based on initial production results, the 100,000-hectare area could produce at least 2-million metric tons of Sorghum grains for feeds and about 8-million metric tons of silage materials for cattle and small ruminants.
In addition, Davao Region’s hog raisers s the first group to apply for the loan for feed mills which will be granted at 2% interest per annum payable in 8 years.
Future Prospect of Sorghum Pilot Farm
Respectively, as reported by Sec. Manny Piñol, by the end of February next year, the 6-hectare Pilot Farm could be harvested and judging from the physical appearance of the plants, I project a very good harvest.
On a higher note, to support rural hog and poultry raisers to produce their own feeds at lower cost, DA will establish village-level feed mills. Furthermore, with this, organized rural hog and poultry raisers could avail of loans from the Agriculture and Fisheries Machinery and Equipment Loaning Program of the DA.
Source:
Low-cost feeds SORGHUM PLANTING PROGRAM HOPE FOR POULTRY, LIVESTOCK