“Like any other crop, red onion is suitable and has the potential to thrive in Butuan City,” said City Agriculturist Engr. Pierre Anthony D. Joven.

The Bloomberg Champion AgriBOOST program of the Local Government Unit of Butuan City conducted a Farmers Field School (FFS) on Vegetable Production from April-July 2023. This included the technology demonstration of red onion production.

Under the AgriBOOST’s AgriBloom component, FFS farmer-enrollees were given resources and technical assistance. Under the supervision of the City Agriculture Office farmer-enrollees have demonstrated the production of the red onion in an open field.

“One of our ways to showcase the technology to the farmers is to involve them in the project by letting them experience and apply the technology that was taught. Based on the demonstration this proves that with appropriate technologies coupled with proper management red onion will thrive in Butuan City’s climatic condition,” said Engr. Joven.

According to Engr. Joven, the CAO will continue to do more technology demonstrations to exhibit various comparative management strategies related to soil classification, fertilization management, and technique to increase the production of onion farmers in Butuan.

“The red onion production campaign of the Department of Agriculture- Caraga under the leadership of Regional Executive Director Engr. Ricardo M. Oñate, Jr. in encouraging LGUs to show the adaptability of the commodity in the climatic condition of the Caraga region is our inspiration that what we thought is impossible, it could be achieved,” said Engr. Joven.

AgriBOOST is LGU’s Butuan Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge 2021 award-winning entry that would address food and nutrition insecurity and the critical issues along the agribusiness value chain particularly of the vegetable commodity. With AgriBOOST, the City of Butuan aims to help farmers achieve increased productivity and income while providing affordable and available vegetables in the city and other neighboring areas. (Rhea C. Abao, Information Officer II DA-Caraga RAFIS)