Region NEWS RELEASE
Sheryl Grace Biag UB Intern
Suggested Title:
LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET- A large number of farmers in this vegetable-producing province are now practicing ‘mokusako, one of the newest farming technology introduced by the Japan Agricultural Exchange Council (JAIC), in raising their agricultural crops.
Mokusako is a wood vinegar which can be obtained by some liquid contents in oil or saps by trapping smoke from organic materials such as coconut husk, wood or plants after being heated.
Muncipal agriculturist Felicitas D. Ticbaen said that the Mokusako entails burning and this technology is intended to catch the steam of smoke while burning the wood, depending on the kind of raw materials used. Mokusako on the other hand is not a substitute for fertilizer. Since the Mokusako also uses wood, Ticbaen added that “wala kaming wood na ibuburn, so we tried the coconut husk.”
Testimonies have shown the beneficial effects of Mokusako to farmers wherein they have observed some positive results in their farm and some of them include the stems of their plants became stronger, the leaves were more vigorous, greener and shinier; after spraying in the vegetable plants it grew vigorously and the leaves became dark green.
Ticbaen also added that, “ginagamit din naming yung Mokusako sa composting at nakakatulong sa pagtatanim ng mga farmers.”
After spraying mokusako to the vegetables, she said the results show that vegetables become softer and tenderer, it minimizes he strong odor of the pesticides used and it also helps in minimizing soil borne diseases.
Likewise, Mokusako could also be used to combat other insect pests. Moreover, farmers in Benguet continue to use Mokusako as it helps them a lot in terms of growth and production, continuous in prolonging and sustaining their plants and cultivate what the farmers have planted.
