Popularity of Bio N among palay farmers grows

By Rose de la Cruz

Very satisfied with their higher yield from palay they harvested in the previous crop using Bio N biofertilizer and the savings they made from forgoing the use of at least two bags of chemical fertilizer per hectare costing P1,500 to P1,750 per bag, a surge in demand for Bio N biofertilizer is now being felt in most palay farms of Central Luzon.

Those that tested Bio N were able to showcase to their neighboring farms the numerous benefits they enjoyed in terms of healthy growth and productivity of their palay plants, the savings from fertilizer and insecticides/herbicides and from reduced number of farm hands. 

Bio N commercially produced by AgriSpecialists Inc. in its P2 billion plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, is now being sold to farmers by licensed distributors and traders to ensure wider reach for Bio N.

Gerbin Salvador, Crop Nutrition Specialist for Central Luzon, said farmers who have previously received free trial packets of Bio N from ASI technicians, are now buying their packets directly from registered 50 traders whose supply comes from three big ASI-accredited distributors.

The previous users have had yield increases of at least 10 to 15 percent and for those whose crops were not affected by the usual summer insect infestation, yields rose by as much as 30 percent compared to when they did not use Bio N yet, he said.

Since those who previously tested Bio N got significant yield increases and healthy (weather and insect- resilient) plants, many of their neighboring farms and relatives have willingly replaced at least two bags per hectare of chemical fertilizer with Bio N. 

It takes 5 packets of the ASI Bio N per hectare worth P750 while chemical fertilizers (urea and Triple 14) costs P1,500 to P1,750 per bag with a hectare needing 12 bags per hectare for inbred seeds and 16 bags per hectare for hybrid seeds.

Traders of Bio N are now enjoying easy time in selling and promoting the product because of positive testimonies and outcomes from farmers who have tested it in the previous cropping season.

The Department of Agriculture now requires farmers in irrigated lands of Central Luzon to adopt three planting season, which is rather problematic now because of delayed releases of irrigation water by the National Irrigation Administration. Still those that have planted earlier using Bio N would not have much difficulty adjusting to the new planting calendar as their soils have been properly enriched and nourished by azospirillum (the nitrogen-fixing bacteria discovered by the UPLB Biotechnology Center).

With Bio N farmers are happy with the savings in production input costs with the replacement of at least 2 bags per hectare of chemical fertilizer worth P1,500 to P1,750 per bag or a savings of P3,000 to P3,500 per hectare, which means a lot to the farmers.

In market briefings with distributors and dealers, “we emphasize the long-term benefits of using Bio N in terms of savings and rejuvenating the soil and root systems of the plant,”Salvador said.

Bio N is commercially produced by ASI and has received its certificate of product registration both for rice and multiple agricultural uses with the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority last January. It contains beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azospirillum), which was discovered by the UPLB Biotechnology Center from cogonal lands that thrived even in lahar soil after Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991.

ASI now has crop nutrition specialists all over the country aside from hundreds of technicians that promote these biofertilizers in regions with different crops.