P 13.3 M WB funded sweet potato facility and nursery to rise in Bagac

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) is pursuing the establishment of plant nursery and consolidated facility for sweet potato clean planting materials with an estimated cost of P13.3 million in the upland village of Binukawan, Bagac to improve the quality and sufficient supply of the root crops in the market.
Engineer Johanna R. Dizon, provincial agriculturist, explained the setting up of the plant nursery and consolidated facility for sweet potato is a joint undertaking of the World Bank which allots 60% of the project cost while the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the provincial government contribute 20% each for the principal outlay.

Governor Albert Garcia stressed the formation of the plant nursery and sweet potato clean planting materials facility is significant to the upgrading of agricultural workers’ income and availability of nutritious and affordable clean planting materials to the growing sweet potato farmers in the Bagac which is reportedly a conducive site for root crops.
Engr. Dizon said the farmers become major beneficiaries when the crops succeed as it will raise their income due to low cost of planting materials, less disease incidence and hybrid varieties given the proper planting techniques leading to better yields.