By Daniel Tapaoan, Jr., StratCom Correspondent

To boost the corn industry in Ilocos Norte, the university shared its MMSU Glut 1 or the Improved Honey Corn technology to farmers on September 27 in Brgy. San Andres, Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. 

Led by faculty-extensionists from the MMSU College of Agriculture, Food, and Sustainable Development (CAFSD), the skills training is part of CAFSD’s Niche Extension Project on “Revitalizing Community Engagement to Institutionalize Partnerships for the Promotion, Extension and Deployment of the MMSU Glut 1 Technology.”

Prof. Glisten Faith Pascua, CAFSD extension coordinator, said 33 farmers in Sarrat participated in the training. The farmers learned how to set planting calendars for different crops, improve planting material preparation, manage pest and post-harvest, create corn-based value-added products, and establish farmers’ cooperatives and corn enterprises. 

Furthermore, she shared that the training is the first phase of the three-year joint extension project of CAFSD and the Local Government of Sarrat. The next phase will be implemented in January 2025, focusing on the hands-on value-adding of corn products and literacy in enterprise development. 

Project Leader Prof. Raymund Julius Rosales and Project Staff Members Prof. Jovy Anne Pedro and Mr. Bryan Pungtilan, also faculty members of the Department of Agricultural Sciences, served as trainers.

A registered variety at the National Seed Industry Council, MMSU Glut 1 produces a 20% higher yield than the original honey corn. When cooked into chicharon, it requires less cooking time (3-4 hours) and has an 81% recovery rate. 

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