The Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office No. 02 (DA RFO 02), through the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) and the Southern Cagayan Research Center (DA-SCRC), successfully conducted a Farmers’ Field Day to promote Mungbean after Rice farming technology on June 10, 2025 in Barangay Bangag, Solana, Cagayan.
The activity aimed to introduce farmers to the benefits of planting mungbean after the rice harvest. This approach improves land use efficiency, enhances soil fertility, and provides an additional income stream for farmers during the off-season. The adoption of mungbean production after rice is projected to generate an estimated yield of 1,200 kilograms at ₱50 per kilogram, providing farmers with an estimated additional income of ₱60,000 per hectare.
One of the key highlights was the introduction of carrageenan plant growth promoter (PGP), an effective organic fertilizer that boosts plant health, reduces pests and diseases, and it increases additional 50% of the yield.
Ms. Carol Albay, HVCDP and NUPAP focal person, expressed the agency’s commitment to expanding mungbean production in the region.
“We are committed to providing planting materials by 2026 to help farmers meet our production goals. At the same time, we encourage intercropping rice with vegetables to increase diversity and income for our farmers.”
Albay also emphasized the need to focus on two major objectives: reducing mungbean importation by expanding local production to up to 20,000 hectares in Region 2, and promoting value-adding through the development of processed mungbean products such as soup and noodles.
Ms. Norma Nerona, DA-SCRC manager, expressed her gratitude to the Local Government Unit of Solana and Barangay Bangag for their active support. She also said that Solana has a wide rice area that is very suitable for mungbean, adding that mungbean is a good crop to plant because of its potential to increase farmers’ income and improve land productivity.
Kagawad Fred Melad delivered the message on behalf of Barangay Captain John Gil Doca, expressing gratitude to the Department of Agriculture and the Local Government Unit of Solana for their support to the farmers and selecting Barangay Bangag as the host site. Also, the barangay looks forward to a continued and fruitful partnership with DA RFO 02.
Engr. Jovy Chua, APCO Cagayan, emphasized that mungbean is a fast-growing and low-maintenance crop well-suited for rice-based systems. She encouraged more farmers to adopt the technology, highlighting that DA RFO 02 is already distributing start-up mungbean seeds across the region.
An open forum, led by Mr. Manimarico Callao, gave farmers a chance to ask questions, share experiences, and offer suggestions on mungbean production. The farmers expressed their gratitude to DA RFO 02 for the initiative in supporting agricultural productivity. In addition to their appreciation, they also requested support in the form of vegetable seeds to further enhance their cultivation efforts. In response, DA RFO 02 instructed the farmers to submit a list of the vegetables they intend to grow, along with the corresponding areas allocated.
The Farmers’ Field Day is part of DA’s efforts to promote sustainable, diversified, and climate-smart agriculture in Cagayan Valley.
Story and photos by Engr. Ezra Jasmine P. Maramag
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