TABUK CITY, Kalinga — Following the introduction of the Adaptive Balanced Fertilization Strategy (ABFS), the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has begun collecting corn samples for aflatoxin analysis.
The samples were taken from the corn yields submitted by members of the Mallong Hillside Farmers Association. Each farmer provided 200 grams of corn for testing.
Detecting traces of aflatoxin in the samples would indicate low-quality corn, which can adversely affect both production and market prices.
The laboratory analysis is scheduled for next week. next week
The results will be forwarded to the Office for the City Agricultural Services (OfCAS) and will be discussed with the corn farmers of Mallong, Cudal, to inform them of the findings and potential implications.
According to OfCAS, it is mandatory for farmers to submit corn samples at the end of each cropping season for pests and diseases analysis. A total of 80 samples, each weighing 200 grams, should be collected from the province, with 20 of these samples coming specifically from Tabuk City.
Currently, most corn farmers in the area plant Pioneer, Dekalb, and NK varieties. The outcome of the aflatoxin testing may influence farmers to consider shifting to other corn varieties to mitigate health risks and quality issues.
The DA emphasizes that exposure to aflatoxin poses serious health risks to humans and animals and presents economic challenges to the agricultural industry. Due to the highly transmissible nature of the fungus and the toxicity of the toxin, developing effective control techniques in laboratory settings remains a complex task. By Darwin Serion
